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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28671219">Be My Valentine</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/writerlady/pseuds/writerlady'>writerlady</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Bunk'd</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - High School, F/M, Friendship, Teen Romance, Valentine's Day</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 05:15:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>49,717</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28671219</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/writerlady/pseuds/writerlady</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Multichapter AU story. High School Sophomore Ravi has always wanted a Valentine, even if his current almost girlfriend is horrible. High School Senior Lou has always wanted a special Valentine's Day, but her boyfriend is garbage and far from romantic.  Rainy weather causes the two of them to meet.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lou Hockhauser &amp; Ravi Ross, Lou Hockhauser/Ravi Ross</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Picnic in the Rain</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lou checked her phone again and sighed. She should’ve known that wearing a cute sweater and curling the ends of her hair were wasted on her no-good boyfriend. She grabbed another heart-shaped homemade cookie from the Tupperware container on the picnic blanket. It was Saturday, officially one week away from Valentine’s Day. She had hoped to start off the week with a romantic picnic in the park, but Eric was a no-show. Again.</p><p>“Looks like rain,” she mumbled to herself between munches of chocolate chips.</p><p>Her eyes drifted back down from the grey clouds to the park around her. Earlier, there had been a few people flying kites and a little girl holding tight to a leash as her dog chased the wind. Now there was barely anyone at the park. Lou glanced over her shoulder and spotted another picnic blanket in the distance. She tilted her head to the side as she tried to think of the guy’s name.</p><p>“I know him...He goes to my school… What is it,” she said to herself as she turned away. She glanced up at the sky again. It was heavier with clouds. She packed away her cookies and rolled up her blanket.</p><p>In the distance, Ravi frowned down at his phone. Not a single reply had been sent to his many messages. He rolled his eyes as he tossed his phone into the open picnic basket. He hadn’t bothered taking out any of the food he had packed because he knew his date would be late. But he hadn’t anticipated her not showing up at all. He had been planning on asking her something important. Well, important to him. He had a feeling she was mostly dating him out of boredom, but having a girlfriend for Valentine’s Day seemed so romantic and now that he had a chance to ask someone, he didn’t want to waste it. </p><p>Thunder rumbled above him. His eyes widened as he stared up at the dark sky. He grabbed his phone out of the basket and called his date. It rang and rang. No answer. He blew a frustrated breath out his nose and then called his brother, Luke. Also, no answer. He sent a quick text message to Luke:</p><p>
  <em> Bad weather and she didn’t show up. Can you pick me up? </em>
</p><p>As he looked up from his phone, he saw someone familiar hurry by. It was Lou Hockhauser, a senior and one of the nicest people at his high school. She gave him a quick smile as she continued up the grassy slope. He couldn’t help but smile back at her even though he was annoyed with his current situation. If it started raining, he would be stuck until someone decided to respond to his calls.</p><p>The sky immediately poured buckets of rain down onto the park.</p><p>Lou made it back to her truck without getting completely soaked. She tossed her bag with the food and blanket behind her and let out a breath. Her hair was slightly damp from the rain.</p><p>“So much for curls,” she said to herself as she checked her reflection in the rear-view mirror. She grabbed a hair tie from the cupholder beneath her radio and wrangled her hair into the band.</p><p>“And so much for my picnic,” she said as she watched the rain fall heavy outside her window. She could barely make out the image of someone running toward the tree beside the parking lot. The person stopped beneath the barren tree and huddled their picnic basket close to their chest. Lou squinted as she leaned closer to the driver’s side window. Suddenly, she remembered his name.</p><p>She partially rolled down her window and shouted, “Hey!”</p><p>He looked around like he wasn’t sure that she was talking to him as the rain continued to fall. The parking lot and park was empty except for him and an abandoned soccer ball.</p><p>Lou continued to shout, “Ravi, right? Do you want to sit in my car?”</p><p>Ravi didn’t need to be told twice. The tree he had been huddled beneath offered no coverage due to its leaves being shed in the winter and he had no idea when his brother or date would arrive. He sprinted over to the truck and got in on the passenger’s side.</p><p>“Thanks,” he said, slightly out of breath, as he placed his basket on the floor beside his soggy shoes.</p><p>“No problem,” she said as she tried not to laugh at his disheveled appearance. “It’s really coming down out there.” She reached behind her and grabbed her hoodie from the backseat. She handed it to him and said politely, “Put this on. Your jacket is… a watered-down mess. But this is my favorite hoodie, so you’re guaranteed to be comfy.”</p><p>“Uh, thank you,” he said as he took the hoodie. As he swapped his jacket for the hoodie, he could understand why she was one of the nicest people at his school. His ears were already cold, so he put on the hood and snuggled into the warmth. He frowned at the rain outside the windshield and said, “And here I thought I had planned everything out so perfectly.”</p><p>Lou turned to face him as she leaned back against the driver’s side door. She pointed at his basket and asked, “Were you having a picnic, too?”</p><p>“Yeah, but my girlfriend hasn’t shown up, yet,” Ravi said. He mimicked Lou’s posture and leaned back against the passenger’s side window. He wiped away a raindrop that had rolled from his hair to the side of his face. “I mean, she’s not technically my girlfriend quite yet. I was going to ask her during our picnic.”</p><p>“Aww, how sweet,” Lou cooed.</p><p>“I thought so,” Ravi mumbled. As much as he would like to go on a tangent about his dating life, he didn’t want his first real interaction with Lou to be a girl talk about his relationship woes.  Instead, he asked, “How do you know my name?”</p><p>“We go to the same school,” Lou chuckled.</p><p>“Yeah, but you’re popular,” Ravi said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.</p><p>Lou snorted. “No, I’m not.”</p><p>“Trust me, Lou Hockhauser. You are.”</p><p>His words lingered in the air as they both sat there in silence. Rain pelted against the outside of the truck. He tried to think of something else to say because they were just staring at each other and it wasn’t awkward, which made it awkward to him.</p><p>“So...um…” he started.</p><p>“I remember you from the science fair last year,” Lou interrupted. “You were like the first freshman to win in a long time or something. I remember my chemistry teacher making a big deal about it.”</p><p>“Was Mrs. Armstrong your chemistry teacher? She was my mentor for the science fair,” Ravi asked excitedly.</p><p>“Yep, that’s her. She spent most of the class period talking about how proud she was of Ravi Ross. Not that I minded. She totally forgot about a pop quiz that I had forgotten to study for, so thanks for that.”</p><p>Ravi chuckled, “You’re welcome.” </p><p>“You’re also Luke’s little brother, right?” Lou said as she turned on the engine of her truck. The temperature had dropped some and she wanted to turn the heat on.<br/>
“That’s me,” Ravi sighed. “The other Ross.”</p><p>“If you want to talk about popular, Luke Ross is popular,” Lou said as she opened the vents so that the warm air blew on both of them. “Is the heat okay? I’m getting kind of cold.”</p><p>“No, thank goodness you turned it on. I wanted to ask but I didn’t want to seem rude.” He held his hands in front of the vent and let the air warm them. “And Luke’s lucky that our sister decided to live with our mother in Europe or she would outshine him.”</p><p>Lou raised an eyebrow. “Is that how you feel? Like your brother outshines you?”</p><p>Ravi felt his face heat with embarrassment. He shook his head and said, “No! That’s not what I…”</p><p>“It’s okay to feel that way sometimes,” Lou shrugged. “My best friend Xander is practically perfect.”</p><p>Ravi chuckled, “You’re friends with Xander and Luke. And you’re dating Eric, one of the best athletes at our school. I’m really curious about your definition of popular.” </p><p>“How do you know who I’m dating?” Lou asked with an amused smirk.</p><p>“I’m no gossip, but I do know things,” Ravi stammered. He winced at how dumb his response sounded, but she just giggled and rolled her eyes. He remembered her words from earlier and added, “You said you were on a picnic, too? Were you waiting for Eric?”</p><p>Lou frowned and crossed her arms as she leaned her shoulder against the driver’s seat. She answered, “Unfortunately, yes... But it’s not like I want to date him.”</p><p>Ravi raised his eyebrows in surprise. “What do you mean?”</p><p>“Well…” Lou scrunched her nose as she tried to find a way to phrase her thoughts. “He’s sort of a…”</p><p>He waited a moment for her to complete her thought, but when she didn’t, the said the words for her. “He’s sort of a jerk,” he said. </p><p>“Exactly,” Lou nodded in agreement.</p><p>“I know. He hates my guts,” Ravi said. “He never fails to remind me of such during gym.”</p><p>“Of course, he’s bullying a sophomore,” Lou said in a frustrated tone. She rolled her eyes. “He’s so immature. Sometimes he really makes me feel like a mule munching on bumble bees.”</p><p>Ravi blinked. He wasn’t sure of what that meant, but he guessed it couldn’t be anything good. He asked, “Then, if you don’t mind me asking, why go out with him?”</p><p>Lou uncrossed her arms. She knew exactly why she continued to date the jerk. But she wasn’t ready to confess her inner thoughts to Ravi. He was practically a stranger. She hadn’t even told Xander why she put up with Eric, even though her best friend had asked several times.</p><p>She responded in a quiet tone, “You wouldn’t understand.”</p><p>Ravi did understand. Most of the time he didn’t like his almost girlfriend either. But he really wanted a Valentine. And he was sure that Lou’s situation was slightly different than his because she probably had plenty of other dating options. </p><p>He glanced out the windshield and said, “Wow, the rain has gotten worse. Thanks again for letting me sit in here.  I’m not sure when my brother will show up. I sent him a text to pick me up.”</p><p>Lou reached for her bag of picnic supplies. She said, “No problem. Do you want a cookie?”</p><p>“Sure,” Ravi said as he reached for his basket. “Would you like a sandwich? I haven’t eaten, yet.”</p><p>Lou’s eyes brightened and she grinned at Ravi. She kicked off her shoes and said, “I’ve got an idea. Hold on a sec.”</p><p>He watched her toss the bag and then climb into the backseat. She pulled the picnic blanket out of her bag and spread it along the bench seat. She placed some Tupperware containers in the center and said, “Hand me your basket.”</p><p>He wordlessly handed her the basket and watched her unpack the containers that he had neatly organized. Once she had finished, she announced, “I present to you, truck picnic. It’s a picnic. But in a truck.”</p><p>Ravi’s eyes shined with laughter. “Creative,” he said.</p><p>“Well join me!”</p><p>He kicked off his soggy shoes and made his way to the opposite side of the backseat. Even though he could still feel some of the damage he had taken from the rain, it was warm and toasty in the backseat of the truck. The air smelled like chocolate chip cookies and his stomach growled at the sight of one of his sandwiches. He had skipped breakfast to prepare for the picnic. Lou chuckled at the sound and handed him one of the sandwiches.</p><p>“So, Casanova, who’s the lucky lady you were going to ask to be your girlfriend today?” Lou asked as she bit into her sandwich.</p><p>“Hazel Swearengin,” Ravi replied.</p><p>His answer caught her off guard and caused her to choke on her food. Ravi leaned forward and patted her back as he glanced around for a drink. He snatched a water bottle from beside a container of grapes and twisted off the top. She took the bottle from him and settled down after a few drinks of water.</p><p>“So, you know her,” he said jokingly as he leaned away from her.</p><p>“Only since we were nine,” Lou said flatly. She took another drink of water and then asked, “Why her? You don’t seem crazy.”</p><p>Ravi gave her a small smile and replied, “You wouldn’t understand.” He knew he was just using her own words from earlier, but if she didn’t have to explain herself then he figured that she wouldn’t really expect him to explain himself.</p><p>“Try me,” Lou replied in a tone that left no room for argument as she picked apart her sandwich.</p><p>Ravi blinked. He couldn’t believe she was actually interested in his love life. Not only was he an underclassman, but they didn’t really know each other. Today had been the most time he had ever spent with her. But she had kind eyes and he thought maybe it’d be nice to share his feelings with someone other than his pet lizard. </p><p>“Uh, it’s a bit embarrassing...But I’ve kind of always been...sort of a hopeless romantic,” Ravi explained. “Emphasis on the hopeless.”</p><p>Lou looked shocked as she gave him a bright smile, “No way! Me too! My Grandpappy read me a fairytale when I was barely out of diapers and I’ve been a romance addict ever since. I can’t get enough of those sappy movies or books. And I keep waiting for something half as sweet to happen to me in real life.”</p><p>“Exactly!” Ravi exclaimed. “And I know it’s sort of foolish because I’m only sixteen, but I can’t…”</p><p>“Stop yourself from hoping that butterflies in your tummy are real and that perfect moment when you lock eyes with someone and your heart does backflips exists and all your romantic efforts aren’t in vain because one day you’ll have an amazing Valentine,” Lou completed his sentence in an exuberant rush.</p><p>“Right! Exactly!”</p><p>The rain had slowed but neither of them noticed as they gazed at each with dopey smiles. </p><p>“Maybe you do understand,” Ravi said in slight awe.</p><p>“Yeah,” she replied with a nod. She broke eye contact to pick up a heart-shaped cookie. “And I keep hoping that Eric will magically change from a toad to a prince. That’s why I planned this picnic. Next Saturday is Valentine’s Day.” She broke the cookie and offered him half.</p><p>“I had hoped to take Hazel on a date each day leading up to Valentine’s Day,” Ravi said as he accepted the other half of the heart.</p><p>“Weird! I had wanted to do the same thing for Eric. I mean, it’s not like he’d appreciate it, though.”</p><p>“Tell me about it. Hazel skipped our date last weekend to help Xander paint his garage, which I wouldn’t have minded if she didn’t leave in the middle of the date. Especially when she was the one who drove us to the restaurant and left me there.”</p><p>“That’s why she was dressed up when she came over to Xander’s,” Lou wondered aloud. She didn’t mention that Hazel was giving Xander googly eyes the entire time.</p><p>“You helped them paint? She told me he didn’t need any extra help.” Ravi added flatly, “She was checking him out the entire time, wasn’t she?”</p><p>“Have you tried the apple slices?” Lou said, lifting the bowl up to him and changing the subject.</p><p>He raised his eyebrow at her but didn’t push for more answers. He took a slice from the bowl and thanked her. </p><p>“Looks like another car is pulling up,” Lou said as she saw headlights pull up beside the truck. The rain was lighter but the sky was still dark as if it were nighttime instead of late in the afternoon. “Is it your brother?”</p><p>Ravi leaned over the passenger’s side seat to look out the window. Through the rain he could see that the car didn’t belong to Luke. He couldn’t help feeling grateful that his time with Lou wasn’t ending just yet. He returned to the backseat and said, “It’s not him.”</p><p>“Good,” Lou smiled. Her eyes widened slightly and she corrected herself, “I mean, I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”</p><p>He smiled back at her and confessed, “I was really hoping it wasn’t him.”</p><p>“Me too,” she replied honestly. She opened a container of homemade parsnip chips and asked, “Did you go to the winter talent show? I heard Lexi Gomez sang a cover of some song and then asked out Taylor Johnson while she was still on stage.”</p><p>“I did! And it was so romantic,” Ravi said as he collected more apple slices. “Hazel has been adamant about me learning how to play guitar. I could guess why. And I’m sure it has nothing to do with the winter talent show, because Hazel was shooting spitballs at freshman the entire time.”</p><p>Lou wondered if Ravi knew about Hazel’s obsession with her best friend, Xander. Everyone else at their school certainly did because Hazel was anything but subtle. And Xander had been playing guitar in the school courtyard during lunch for years.</p><p>“Well, if you need anyone to listen to you practice, I’ve got years of experience listening to Xander. He’s been playing guitar since we were ten,” Lou said. </p><p>“I would never make you suffer through that. I’m horrible at the guitar, but I do have an appreciation for other musical instruments, especially those that may be more traditional in other countries but not necessarily for a garage band here.”</p><p>Lou grinned and leaned forward. She waved him closer as if she had a secret to tell him. She said, “Not many people know this, but I can play the washtub bass and the spoons. I love jug bands.”</p><p>He laughed and said good-naturedly, “And I thought I was weird.”</p><p>Lou playfully rolled her eyes and pushed him lightly on the shoulder as she said, “Whatever.”</p><p>“Oh look, the rain stopped,” Ravi said as he glanced out the window. </p><p>“It has,” Lou said as she looked out the windows at the grey evening and damp-looking park. Her eyes settled on the passenger’s side window where she could see part of the car parked beside them. “Huh, that looks like Eric’s car,” she murmured.</p><p>She climbed back to the front of the truck and stared out the passenger’s side window. Now up close, she could clearly see that it was indeed her boyfriend’s car. She gasped as she realized that not only was his car there, but inside of it he was engaged in a fierce tongue battle with a pigtailed blonde. </p><p>“Jerk!” Lou shouted angrily as she pushed open the door and hopped out of the car. </p><p>Ravi scrambled from the backseat of the truck and swiftly followed her outside as she banged against the driver’s side window of Eric’s car with her fist.</p><p>“Roll down the window, Eric,” Lou demanded angrily as she stepped back and crossed her arms.</p><p>As Eric rolled down the window, Ravi instantly recognized the girl with him. He glared and gasped, “Hazel!”</p><p>Hazel looked unfazed as she kept her arms lazily draped around Eric’s shoulders. She was wearing the Mega Mutants sweatshirt that she had bought last weekend to match Ravi’s when they had gone to the game’s convention together.</p><p>“Not only are you cheating on me,” Ravi huffed angrily, “But you’re wearing our matching sweatshirt! Lizardo would be ashamed.”</p><p>“What’s the geek talking about?” Eric asked Hazel as he gave Ravi a disgusted look.</p><p>“He’s talking about how <em> he’s </em> dating <em> her </em>, you slimeball,” Lou said in irritation. She debated dragging him out of the car to hogtie him for being such an idiot.</p><p>“Oh yeah,” Hazel mused as she toyed with one of her signature platinum pigtails, “I keep forgetting that we’re dating.”</p><p>“Lovely,” Ravi responded sarcastically as he crossed his arms and paced the space between the vehicles. “I’m so disappointed in you, Hazel!”</p><p>“Me too!” Lou added. She flailed her arms as she widened her eyes at Hazel. “I thought we were frenemies?”</p><p>Hazel let go of Eric and gripped the window frame on the driver’s side to poke her head out of the window slightly. She gave Lou a genuinely hurt expression as she said, “We are! You know I love to hate you and I hate to love you!”</p><p>Ravi stopped pacing to stand beside Lou and give Hazel an incredulous look. He said, “Then why are you making out with her boyfriend?”</p><p>“He’s pretty, Ravi,” Hazel pouted.</p><p>“Right,” Eric grinned as he leaned over to check himself out in the driver’s side mirror. </p><p>“And that’s all he is,” Hazel added as she propped her elbow on the steering wheel.</p><p>“Hey!” Eric protested.</p><p>Hazel shushed him and continued, “Which is why he’s perfect to waste time with. There’s no chance I’d ever be this idiot's friend,” she snorted as she pointed her thumb at Eric. “He’s the worst. But I like you, Ravi, as a person. You’re like my best friend now.”</p><p>“Are you kidding me! Your best friend that you forgot you were dating and cheated on?” Lou scoffed. She put a sympathetic hand on Ravi’s shoulder and leaned closer to ask him gently, “Are you okay?”</p><p>His glare that had been directed at Hazel had lost its intensity. Part of him was still extremely angry, but another part of him was shocked that she had admitted to enjoying their time together to the point she considered him a friend. He had thought she was just boredly going along with dating him.</p><p>“I am so glad that I didn’t ask you to be my girlfriend,” Ravi huffed as he shook his head at Hazel.</p><p>She frowned and her eyes softened as she gazed at him. “Bless your geeky little heart. You’re a great guy. But Ravi, you know that you and I could never be. My heart will always belong to another…”</p><p>Eric raised his eyebrows at her and asked, “Me?” He let out a breath and stammered, “Wow. I don’t know what to say. I…”</p><p>“Xander!” Hazel cheered as she clasped her hands beneath her chin and sighed dreamily up at the grey sky. A raindrop rolled down the side of the car and splashed her shoulder as she remained partially out the driver’s side window.</p><p>“Meh,” Eric shrugged. He winked at Lou and said, “You look cute today, babe.”</p><p>Lou let go of Ravi’s shoulder and shook her fist at Eric. She threatened, “I will knock those teeth right out of your dreamy face.”</p><p>Worried that she might do it, Ravi held his arm in front of her and said in a calm tone, “He’s not worth it, Lou.”</p><p>Lou grumbled but didn’t move forward. She said through her teeth, “We are so over, Eric.”</p><p>Eric gave her a blank look as he asked, “Wait, what? I thought you broke up with me on Wednesday.”</p><p>Lou rolled her eyes, “No, I <em> warned </em> you that we were <em> going </em> to break up if you didn’t change. Obviously, you’re still a jerk.”</p><p>“See,” Hazel said nonchalantly, “looks like this was all just a simple misunderstanding.” She slapped the window frame and leaned back into the car. “Welp, see you losers Monday. You can go back to whatever you were doing in the back of Lou’s truck.”</p><p>Anger flamed in Eric’s eyes as he glared at Ravi. His nostrils flared as he shouted, “What! You’re cheating on me with that pipsqueak!”</p><p>Fear gripped Ravi and flashbacks of Eric shoving him in the lockers during freshman year flashed in his mind. He had a feeling there would be a lot more of Eric’s wrath in the hallways in his future. He was too afraid to speak as a chilly wind blew by.</p><p>“Hey!” Hazel swatted Eric roughly on the shoulder. “Don’t talk to my friend like that!” She grabbed him by the collar and growled, “From now on, if you mess with him then you’re going to have to deal with me.”</p><p>Ravi had always known that Hazel was a little on the insane side. But he couldn’t believe she was cheating on him, praising him, and sticking up for him all within the same half hour. He would have laughed if it wasn’t all so completely nuts.</p><p>“You’re the cheater, Eric,” Lou sneered. Fresh raindrops began to lightly scatter the parking lot. “And for the record, Ravi and I were just hanging out. He’s actually a good person and a good boyfriend that would never cheat, unlike you, slimeball.”</p><p>Ravi couldn’t help but look over and smile at Lou. He whispered, “Thanks.”</p><p>She heard him and gazed back at him as the rain fell with more urgency. Her truck continued to rumble in the background.</p><p>Hazel interrupted their peaceful silence by saying, “Whatever. He’s wearing your hoodie.”</p><p>Before either of them could argue back, Hazel rolled up the window and returned to kissing Eric. Lou shook her head and motioned toward the truck. Ravi followed her into the vehicle and just as he shut the passenger’s side door the rain poured.</p><p>“That was…” Ravi started.</p><p>“You know, I don’t even want to talk about it,” Lou said honestly. She closed her eyes and sighed as she slouched in the driver’s seat. “Why did I ever waste my time with that idiot?”</p><p>Ravi wanted to think of the perfect response to make her feel better, but he had barely processed what had just happened. All he wanted to do was go home and fall asleep. </p><p>“Text your brother not to worry about heading out. I’ll take you home,” Lou finally said as she straightened her posture and clicked on her seatbelt.</p><p>Ravi nodded and put on his own seatbelt. The drive to his house was quiet except for the directions that he gave to his house as they both pondered the long day they had just had.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Study Hall</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Like she did every Monday through Friday at 7:30 a.m., Lou drove up and parked beside Xander’s mailbox. She watched her best friend jog out of the front door and into the darkness of the early morning as his porch light shone behind him. </p>
<p>“Hey!” His breath made wispy clouds as he greeted her from outside the truck. He hopped inside and closed the door with a thud. “I haven’t heard from you all weekend.”</p>
<p>Lou put her truck in drive and checked her mirrors for any neighbors backing into the street. After having her pre-Valentine’s Day plans ruined, she had spent the rest of her weekend catching up on homework and watching mindless videos on her phone. On Sunday, she had been tempted to vent to her best friend about what had happened with Eric at the park, but she knew Xander was busy spending time with his newly adopted brother and she didn’t want to get in the way of that.</p>
<p>“Eh, it wasn’t that great. How’s Griff?” She asked, hoping to steer the conversation away from her weekend with Eric.</p>
<p>“Awesome,” Xander grinned as he drummed on the backpack in his lap. “Having a little brother is pretty cool. Griff’s hilarious!”</p>
<p>“That’s sweet,” Lou smiled at him before returning her attention to the road. Morning traffic was always busier on Mondays. </p>
<p>Xander stopped drumming and gave Lou a serious look. He asked, “So… are we going to ignore the fact that you said your weekend wasn’t great when I know you had a date planned with Eric?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Lou said as she scrunched her nose and kept her eyes focused on the school bus in front of her, “I pick ignore.”</p>
<p>“Lou…”</p>
<p>“Fine,” she sighed as she gripped the steering wheel. “We broke up.”</p>
<p>Xander exhaled in relief as he threw up his hands and cheered, “Thank goodness!”</p>
<p>“Hey!”</p>
<p>“Lou, the guy was terrible. Every time you break up with him, I practically beg you not to take him back.” Xander shifted in his seat. “In fact, please tell me that you’re serious this time. You are too good for him, Lou.”</p>
<p>Lou glanced at her friend and said, “You always say that.”</p>
<p>“Because it’s true! Lou, look, I know how tough dating can be. But if a person is wrong for you then they’re wrong for you,” Xander said in a gentle tone. “That’s why I broke up with Rebecca.”</p>
<p>Lou frowned as she turned into the high school parking lot. She drove slowly behind a line of cars each waiting to park in their assigned space. </p>
<p>“It’s not the same for you, Xander. You can have a whirlwind romance. If you went out on the soccer field right now and flashed your abs, there would be a swarm of girls clawing each other’s eyes out just to be your Valentine.”</p>
<p>Xander chuckled and joked, “It’s a little cold for that.”</p>
<p>Lou rolled her eyes and said, “You know what I mean.”</p>
<p>She turned her steering wheel and parked in front of the bench that the student council had installed to honor one of the music teachers. She left the engine running so the inside of the car would stay warm as they talked.</p>
<p>“But don’t worry about Eric. He and I are done,” Lou said. “He cheated on me.”</p>
<p>Xander’s normally cheery expression morphed into anger and shock. He shouted, “He what!”</p>
<p>“Don’t get all worked up. I’m already over it. I’m just peeved that he ruined my Valentine plans,” Lou replied honestly.</p>
<p>“Cheating on you is not cool, Lou!” He said, still visibly angry as he gripped the handle to the door. “He has English first period, right?”</p>
<p>“Cool your jets,” Lou said calmly as she put her hand on his shoulder. “We both know if you try and pick a fight with Eric, he’ll totally kick your butt.”</p>
<p>Xander gently shrugged her hand off his shoulder and frowned. He said, “I workout.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, but you’re musician buff and Eric’s athlete of the year buff,” she gave him a small smile and added, “You’re too pretty to be all bruised up.”</p>
<p>Xander rolled his eyes and let out a long breath through his nose, but he let go of the door handle. After a moment he slouched in his seat and asked, “Are you really okay?”</p>
<p>Lou nodded. She leaned against the steering wheel and said, “It’s almost amusing in a messed-up way cause the girl I caught him making out with is only using him to get over you.”</p>
<p>Xander gave her a confused look as he asked, “Me?”</p>
<p>She smirked, “It’s Hazel.”</p>
<p>“Hazel!” He facepalmed and grumbled, “Does she ever stay out of trouble? And how can she get over me when me was never an option for her?” He looked at Lou with wide eyes and added, “She kissed your boyfriend! How could she? She’s supposed to be our friend!”</p>
<p>“Hazel’s gonna Hazel. She probably doesn’t even think she did anything wrong. Plus, I think he told her that we broke up cause he’s an idiot and thought that I dumped him a week ago,” Lou explained. “It was all very weird and I’m trying to erase it from my brain.” The thought of Ravi flashed in her mind and she added, “Well, not all of it.”</p>
<p>Xander glanced at the time above the radio. They had ten minutes until the bell to start the day rang. He said, “Well, if you promise you’re okay, then I’ll be chill.”</p>
<p>She smiled and said, “I promise. I’m okay.”</p>
<p>“What about your week? Didn’t you plan a bunch of dates or something for Eric?”</p>
<p>She sighed, “I did. But I don’t have a Valentine now, so…”</p>
<p>Xander slung his backpack onto his shoulder and grinned, “I’ll be your Valentine. I’m a pretty cheap date and I promise you won’t have to claw anyone’s eyes out.”</p>
<p>Lou laughed and shook her head. “No way! I’d die and be buried six feet under from embarrassment. That’s the exact same as having my brother be my Valentine! I’d look like an idiot. Plus, no offense, but gross. This is a time of romance.”</p>
<p>“You could’ve just said ‘no’,” he chuckled good-naturedly as they hopped out of the truck.<br/>The two best friends walked up the stairs outside that led to the school’s entrance. Lou followed Xander to his locker and waited for him to toss some textbooks inside.</p>
<p>“Hey, what do you know about Luke’s brother?” Lou asked casually.</p>
<p>“Ravi? Uh,” Xander thought for a moment as he closed his locker. “We’ve played video games a couple times. Oh, and he’s got like a giant lizard for a pet! It’s kinda cool. And I’ve seen him hangout with Hazel.”</p>
<p>The bell rang and they both sighed in disappointment at the start of another morning of Mr. Elba’s math class. They plodded toward the door at the end of the hall.</p>
<p>“Why are you asking about Ravi?”</p>
<p>Lou shrugged. “We got caught in the rain.”</p>
<p>Xander frowned as he dropped his backpack onto the desk that he shared with her. “That sucks,” he said.</p>
<p>She gently placed her bag on the ground beside the desk and sat down. She shook her head and said, “Nah, it was actually pretty…nice.” She remembered how cozy and warm she had felt during their impromptu truck picnic as they snacked on homemade cookies and sandwiches.</p>
<p>________________________________________ <br/>Ravi held his lunch tray in his hands as he looked around the cafeteria. The room was loud with laughter and chatter. He had the earliest lunch period around 11 a.m. but all of his friends had later lunch periods. That fact didn’t bother him as much when he was dating Hazel because she had been his lunch buddy. She always swiped something from his tray and kicked her dusty sneakers up on the table, but she kept him company and made lunch less lonely. He sighed and walked over to the empty table by the trash cans. </p>
<p>“I should’ve brought a book from my locker,” he mumbled to himself as he poked a fork at his broccoli.</p>
<p>“Nerd. Who reads at lunch?”</p>
<p>Ravi tensed at the sound of Eric’s familiar voice. He looked up from his lunch to see Eric plop down in the chair across from him. Eric tossed a paper bag onto the table and an apple rolled out of it. Ravi quickly realized that Hazel was there too, taking the previously empty seat beside Eric.</p>
<p>“Shut up,” Hazel demanded as she crossed her ankles and lazily balanced them on his knees.</p>
<p>“K, babe,” Eric shrugged as he took a large bit out of his apple and stared down at his phone.</p>
<p>Ravi stared at the two of them. The two reasons why he spent the majority of his weekend sulking over his ruined Valentine’s plans were currently relaxing at his lunch table as if nothing had happened. </p>
<p>“What is going on?” he asked, unable to keep the attitude out of his voice.</p>
<p>“We’re having lunch together, duh,” Hazel said casually as she reached across the table and swiped the orange off his tray. </p>
<p>“We broke up,” Ravi replied. He winced at his choice of words. Technically he hadn’t even had the chance to ask her to be his girlfriend because she skipped their date to make out with Eric. “I mean, we’re not dating or hanging out or… Why are you sitting here?”</p>
<p>“I told you we’re friends,” Hazel said nonchalantly as she peeled the orange. </p>
<p>Ravi blinked. He couldn’t believe what was happening. Part of him wanted to shout at her and Eric for having the audacity to crash his lunch after they ruined his weekend. But another part of him was happy not to spend lunch alone in a cafeteria full of people. He glanced around the room and noticed a few eyes were on them. He felt his face heat at the attention. He had only gotten a few looks when the school rebel had started having lunch with him, but now one of the best athletes at the school was sitting with him. And they were both seniors.</p>
<p>“You both realize that this is very strange,” Ravi said as he refocused his attention on the couple in front of him.</p>
<p>Eric looked up from his phone and slouched in his chair as he tossed the apple core onto the table. He said, “Whatever. Hey, how come you never rat me out to your brother?”</p>
<p>Ravi blinked again. He couldn’t believe his tormentor was trying to casually strike up a conversation as if he hadn’t bullied him for the past two years. He narrowed his eyes at Eric, but the older guy looked unbothered. Ravi sighed and answered, “I can fight my own battles. I don’t need Luke always trying to take up for me.”</p>
<p>“Cool,” Eric said as he dumped a sandwich wrapped in plastic out of the paper bag. </p>
<p>“That better be turkey,” Hazel said as she snatched the sandwich out of Eric’s hands. She sniffed it and then broke it in half. “Here.” She shoved his portion back into his hand and then bit into her half. </p>
<p>Ravi was surprised that Eric didn’t complain. He didn’t even look annoyed as he bit into the turkey sandwich. Ravi realized that he hadn’t eaten much of his own lunch and quickly finished his broccoli casserole in silence.</p>
<p>“How long you been hooking up with my ex-girlfriend?” Eric asked suddenly, sending Ravi into a coughing fit.</p>
<p>Hazel got up and snatched a carton of milk off of a freshman’s tray and brought it back to offer Ravi. He waved it away and took a sip of his own water. </p>
<p>“Lou and I are…” he almost said friends. His heart sank a little. He had enjoyed hanging out with her. Over the weekend, when he wasn’t thinking about how upset he was with Hazel and Eric, he was thinking about sweet and funny Lou. But one picnic in the rain didn’t automatically make them friends. He didn’t even know if she would speak to him again now that they were back to being in completely different social circles. He said, “...we’re not hooking up.”</p>
<p>Eric shrugged and returned to scrolling through his phone. Ravi glared at the older guy. He couldn’t believe this was the person that Lou had wanted to spend her Valentine's Day with. She was obviously wonderful and Eric was obviously not. He wasn’t even sure if Hazel deserved to be this guy’s Valentine.<br/>“So, if you don’t mind me asking, what are your plans for Valentine’s Day,” Ravi asked Eric as he crossed his arms. “I do hope you have something special planned since Hazel is now your girlfriend.”</p>
<p>“He’s not my boyfriend,” Hazel said in a bored tone.</p>
<p>Eric looked up from his phone and raised his eyebrows at her. “I don’t have to get you anything?”</p>
<p>“Unless it’s my Xandy wrapped in a big, red bow then I’m not interested,” Hazel said as she patted him on head.</p>
<p>“So, what I’m hearing is that I don’t have to get you anything,” Eric asked for clarification. </p>
<p>“I can’t believe this,” Ravi gasped. “Do neither of you value the romance of such a beautiful holiday? It’s dedicated to love and cherishing the one you’re with! You should be spending time together and showing your appreciation for each other.”</p>
<p>Eric gave Ravi a blank look and said, “Huh?”</p>
<p>Hazel rolled her eyes and took a sip of milk. She smacked her lips and said, “Life’s not a rom-com, Ravi. No one’s doing any of that stuff. I’m going to let Eric buy me Taco Bell on Saturday and then we’re going to go make out in my basement.”</p>
<p>“Nice,” Eric grinned.</p>
<p>Ravi scrunched his eyebrows and shook his head in horror. He said, “No! Not ‘nice.’ That’s the least romantic thing that I’ve ever heard! I can’t believe I planned an entire week of lovely dates for the two of us Hazel and you want cheap tacos? And you, Eric, I’ll have you know that Lou wanted to have a special Valentine’s Day with you and I’m certain it had nothing to do with basements!”</p>
<p>He exhaled and uncrossed his arms. He waited for their response, but they stared at him blankly.</p>
<p>“I like cheap tacos,” Hazel said with a pout. </p>
<p>“Me too, babe,” Eric said as he pulled the side of her chair closer to him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and brushed his nose against her ear as he said, “I like basements, too.”</p>
<p>She giggled and clutched his jacket.<br/>“Okay, I can see where this is going,” Ravi said, uncomfortable. He stood up and before he could leave, Hazel and Eric were already kissing. “And my week is already off to an awkward start.”</p>
<p>He left the cafeteria and walked toward his locker. He didn’t need anything, but he figured he would hang out there until the next bell rang. He sat down on the tile floor and scrolled through his phone.</p>
<p>“Bro!”</p>
<p>Ravi looked up and saw Luke strolling down the hall. He had a hall pass in one hand and a bag of chips in the other. He sat down beside Ravi and opened the bag.</p>
<p>“You’re not supposed to be skipping class,” Ravi said as he took a chip out of the bag offered to him.</p>
<p>“You’re not supposed to be in the hallway during lunch,” Luke replied casually.</p>
<p>Ravi’s eyes widened. He asked, “I’m not? I didn’t know that was a rule!” He started to scramble to his feet, but Luke pulled him back down by the shoulder.</p>
<p>Luke chuckled. “Relax, dude. I’m kidding. You really need to lighten up.”</p>
<p>Ravi glared at his brother, but there was no hostility behind the look. He took another chip from the bag and leaned back against the chilly lockers.</p>
<p>“Nina sent me a text that Hazel and Eric were all over each other at lunch and I wanted to check to make sure you were okay,” Luke explained. </p>
<p>“I’m fine,” Ravi answered. He had kept the details of his weekend minimal after Lou dropped him off home on Saturday. Luke had been busy flirting with Nina Montez at the coffee shop near their house, which was why he never saw Ravi’s messages asking to be picked up. But he had told his older brother that he and Hazel were no longer dating.</p>
<p>“Cool,” Luke said, relieved as he patted his brother on the shoulder.  “That was easy. If you were Emma that might have taken more time. I’m glad she’s in Europe.”</p>
<p>Ravi snorted with laughter. “Has Emma ever been dumped?”</p>
<p>Luke laughed too. “No. Another reason I’m glad she’s in Europe. Imagine if she went to school here? I don’t want to go back to being ‘Emma’s little brother.’ All through middle school I had to deal with people falling over themselves to be friends with her. So annoying.” </p>
<p>Ravi rolled his eyes and said sarcastically, “That must’ve been horrible.”</p>
<p>“You have no idea, dude.”</p>
<p>Ravi decided not to point out that the exact way Luke lived in Emma’s shadow during middle school was the way that Ravi felt he lived in Luke’s shadow now. Ravi had his own small group of friends, but he knew most people only gave him the time of day because he was Luke Ross’s brother. That wasn’t a confidence booster.</p>
<p>“I miss her, though,” Ravi said honestly. “I know Zuri does too. I’m glad she’s visiting us next month.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, whatever,” Luke said, but it was obvious in his voice that he missed his big sister too. He nudged Ravi with his elbow and said, “So, what are you going to do about your lame week of girly dates?”</p>
<p>Ravi rolled his eyes and said, “It’s not girly to want Valentine’s week to be special.” </p>
<p>“Guys like you are a problem, dude. Valentine’s Day is already over the top. Don’t go putting ideas out there about making it an entire week,” Luke said. His phone vibrated and he looked down at it. “I gotta go in a sec. Are you sure you’re alright?”</p>
<p>Ravi nodded. He thought for a moment. Their talk of Valentine’s Day reminded him of his truck picnic with Lou. He said, “Uh, do you know much about Lou Hockhauser?”</p>
<p>Luke smirked, “Look who’s ready to move on with another senior. Nice.”</p>
<p>Ravi’s face heated and he stammered, “I was just asking… in general.”</p>
<p>“Well in general, she’s a little weird, but in like a cool way. And she’s funny and chill to hang out with,” Luke said. “She’s in my gym class.” He wiggled his eyebrows at his brother and added, “She looks good in shorts.”</p>
<p>“Must you always be so primitive,” Ravi said flatly. The bell ending lunch rang and they both stood to leave the hallway.</p>
<p>“Catch you later, bro,” Luke waved at his brother as he jogged down the hall.</p>
<p>________________________________________<br/> <br/>“They were all over each other in the cafeteria.”</p>
<p>Lou tried her best not to roll her eyes. It was at least the seventh time that day someone had told her about Eric and Hazel. Those who hadn’t told her in the hallway or in the classroom had sent her a text.</p>
<p>“I know,” Lou told her friends. A group of them were crowded at a table in the back of the library during study hall. “It’s cool. We broke up.”</p>
<p>Her friends gave her various degrees of skeptical looks.</p>
<p>Lou did roll her eyes this time as she said with confidence, “I’m serious this time.”</p>
<p>“Good. Eric’s such a jerk. I dated him sophomore year and he didn’t even remember when my birthday was,” one of her friends, Jessica, said.</p>
<p>“His mom used to bring him over when she and my mom had book club meetings when we were both twelve. He threw my barbie dolls out the window,” another one of her friends, Tanya, said.</p>
<p>Lou raised her eyebrow at Tanya and asked, “He did that when you were twelve? But didn’t you go out with him freshman year?”</p>
<p>“Yeah… But he’s so hot! And he keeps getting hotter with time. I mean, I probably would’ve dated him at twelve, you know, if I would’ve been allowed to date then,” Tanya said. </p>
<p>“Me too. And have you seen his arms?” Jessica said, fanning her face with her notebook.</p>
<p>Everyone at the table laughed and voiced their agreement over Eric’s hotness. Everyone except Lou. After seeing him with Hazel on Saturday, she no longer felt charmed by his good looks. And honestly, after dealing with him for so long, that was all he really had to offer. And she wanted more than that. Even if it felt unlikely to happen.</p>
<p>“Don’t you guys want more than a good-looking fella? Don’t you want romance? And butterflies?” She asked her friends.</p>
<p>Her friends gave her amused looks. Two of them shook their heads. Another shrugged. Tanya snapped a selfie because the lightning coming in from the windows in the library was good.</p>
<p>“I got butterflies when I saw Xander doing pushups in gym last week,” Jessica joked and her friends burst into a fit of laughter. The librarian stormed around the corner to give them a sharp look and they quieted down.</p>
<p>Lou didn’t laugh. She wished there was someone that understood what she was looking for. </p>
<p>“I’ll see you guys later. I really need to study for my French quiz,” Lou said, making up the excuse, as she gathered her things.</p>
<p>She waved them goodbye and made her way to the front of the library. She was almost out the door when she noticed Ravi sitting alone at a table by the water fountain. Her feet froze and her heart beat a little faster.  She smiled at the only good part of her weekend. He must have felt her eyes on him because he looked up at her and smiled back. Without hesitation, she walked over to his table.</p>
<p>“Got room for one more?” she asked politely.</p>
<p>“Of course,” he answered brightly as he hopped up from his seat and pulled out the chair for her. He blinked as he looked confusedly down at the chair that he was offering her and said, “I don’t know why I did that.”</p>
<p>Lou laughed as she sat down in the chair. She joked, “I feel like I should curtsy or something.”</p>
<p>He chuckled as he returned to his own seat. He said, “Thanks again for saving me from the rain on Saturday.”</p>
<p>“No problem. I had a lot of fun.”</p>
<p>“Me too!”</p>
<p>Lou took her book and notebook out of her bag and placed them on the table. She said, “I never realized we had study hall together. What a coincidence.” </p>
<p>Ravi shyly looked down at his environmental science notes and said, “I knew. I see you with your friends all the time in the back of the library.”</p>
<p>“Oh,” Lou said, feeling slightly guilty for never noticing him before. She tucked her hair behind her ear and said, “Well then you know I hardly get any actual studying done with those clucking hens.”</p>
<p>Ravi chuckled as looked up at her. “You say some interesting things, Lou Hockhauser.”</p>
<p>Lou tilted her head to the side and smiled. “You can just call me Lou, you know. You don’t have to say my entire name like I’m special or something.”</p>
<p>“Sorry,” he apologized as he tapped his pencil on the table. “So… Lou.” He glanced at the book in front of her and asked, “Oh, you’re taking French?”</p>
<p>“Oui,” she replied brightly. “It’s my third semester.”</p>
<p>“So, you must be fluent in the language of love,” he said good-naturedly.</p>
<p>“Must not be that fluent cause my boyfriend had his tongue down your girlfriend’s throat on Saturday,” Lou said flatly.</p>
<p>“Can you believe that they had the nerve to sit with me at lunch today?” Ravi asked.</p>
<p>Lou gasped, “No!”</p>
<p>“Yes! It was so bizarre. It was as if they hadn’t ruined the week before Valentine’s Day.”</p>
<p>Lou crossed her arms and leaned on the table. She frowned as she said, “I had been so looking forward to this week. I even made sure not to have any babysitting gigs this week so we could go on a date every night. Not that Eric would’ve been worth it. He would’ve just spent the entire time on his phone or trying to kiss me.”</p>
<p>Ravi crossed his arms and leaned on the table as well. He said, “Tell me about it. His idea of romance is the Taco Bell and Hazel’s basement. They’re actually perfect for each other.”</p>
<p>“Lucky them,” Lou said sarcastically. “It’s not fair. We’re the ones that deserve to be happy, not them. Why do they get to have a Valentine and we get to have...nothing?”</p>
<p>Ravi nodded in agreement as he frowned down at his book. He had been looking forward to this week as well. He had just recently gotten his driver’s license and was excited to actually be able to drive his date places instead of having his older brother drop him off. </p>
<p>“I had actually planned a drive to the beach for today,” Ravi explained. “I just got my license and my parents bought me a car. It would’ve been my first trip in it.”</p>
<p>“Aw, your first car! I remember when I got Betsy,” Lou said as she uncrossed her arms but continued to lean on the table. “That’s what I call my truck. The first place I drove was to the farmer’s market on the other side of town and I loaded it up with pumpkins. I’ve never carved so many pumpkins in my life. But I was just pumped to be able to get as many as I wanted cause I had my truck to put um in.”</p>
<p>“That sounds wonderful! I also enjoy pumpkin carving. See, I want a memory like that. And I know that the beach is freezing, of course, during this time of year. But something about it seems… I don’t know… poetic? Walking along the shore with your Valentine,” Ravi explained. He felt his face heat with embarrassment. He hoped he didn’t sound like a loser in front of someone as cool as Lou.</p>
<p>“It does sound poetic,” Lou said with wonder in her voice as she gazed at Ravi.</p>
<p>The bell rang, putting an end to study hall. Lou snapped out of her gaze and glanced up at the clock on the wall. She grabbed her book and notebook and stood. She said, “Sorry, I’ve got to stop by my locker before French.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, no problem,” Ravi stammered. He gathered his own things and added, “I hope I didn’t distract you from your studies.”</p>
<p>Lou stepped to the side and said, “Not at all! I really like hanging out with you, Ravi.” She adjusted the bag on her shoulder and added, “Thanks for letting me interrupt your studying.”</p>
<p>Ravi smiled, <em> “Au revoir.” </em></p>
<p>She felt a flutter in her chest.  <em> “Au revoir,” <em> she repeated before turning away.</em></em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Moment</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tuesday morning, Lou picked up Xander a little earlier than usual at his request. He had said that he needed to meet someone, so they waited in the sparsely crowded hallway by the dark green lockers.</p><p>“Guess who was asking about you yesterday,” Xander said as he leaned his back against his closed locker. He fiddled with his phone to send some money to the person he was waiting on.</p><p>Lou gently placed her bag on the tiled floor as she leaned one shoulder against the lockers. Her hair was still slightly damp in its ponytail from her rushing to get ready. “I don’t know,” she replied. “Who?”</p><p>“Noah,” Xander answered. “You know, with the lumberjack facial hair?”</p><p>“Are you serious?” she asked flatly.</p><p>Xander worked as a lifeguard at the indoor community pool. Most of the guys that she knew liked working there because the uniform was basically shorts and tank tops, but Xander actually liked being around to help people and to teach swimming lessons to the younger kids. Noah worked at the pool, too. And from her minimal interactions with him, she knew it wasn’t because he wanted to be a role model.</p><p>“Apparently words out that you and Eric broke up,” Xander said as he took a guitar pick out of his pocket to toss up in down in his palm.</p><p>“Noah graduated like two years ago, why would he be keeping up with a high school break-up?” </p><p>Xander looked confused. “I thought you’d be into him asking about you. Didn’t you have a crush on him when we were like freshman?”</p><p>Lou raised her eyebrow and said, “I also used to try and sneak baby chicks into my locker, clearly my judgement was off back then.”</p><p>Xander snorted with laughter.</p><p>“Besides, don’t you remember what a jerk he was? He knew I had a crush on him, so he used to make me carry his stuff around,” Lou said, rolling her eyes at the memory. Once she had realized that Noah was using her, she had thrown his books and gym equipment into the dumpster behind the cafeteria that year.</p><p>“Oh, right,” Xander frowned. “Well, he was asking about you and I told him I’d see if you were interested. But I’ll tell him to buzz off when I go to work on Friday.”</p><p>“Good,” Lou smirked as she high-fived her best friend. She glanced at the time on her phone and asked, “Who are you waiting for anyway?”</p><p>“Me,” a voice said.</p><p>Lou looked up and she felt her heart skip a beat. She smiled at Ravi and said, “Hi.”</p><p>“Hi,” he replied, smiling back at her.</p><p>No one said anything for a moment. Xander looked from Lou to Ravi. He felt awkward because neither person was acknowledging him. They were just standing there smiling at each other.</p><p>“Uh, so… the guitar?” Xander said to Ravi.</p><p>Ravi blinked and turned his attention to Xander. He stammered, “Oh, right! Yes, the guitar.” He held up the acoustic guitar in his hand. “Here you go, Xander.”</p><p>“Dude!” Xander thanked him excitedly as he checked out the guitar.</p><p>“You’re getting rid of your guitar?” Lou asked Ravi.</p><p>“Yeah,” Ravi shrugged. “I don’t really have a need for it now that Hazel’s no longer forcing me to take lessons. I remembered Xander admiring it one time when he was over to hang out with Luke.”</p><p>“This is awesome, Ravi,” Xander said. “Are you sure you don’t want more for it? This thing had to be crazy expensive.”</p><p>“No, it’s fine. I’m just happy it’s finally going to someone who can actually play it,” Ravi chuckled.</p><p>“That’s sweet,” Lou commented as she picked her bag up from the tile.</p><p>Ravi felt his face heat up from her compliment. He held the straps of his backpack and rocked on his heels as he said, “Okay, then. Um, I better get to my locker.”</p><p>“Cool,” Xander said, putting the strap of the guitar around his shoulders and holding it in a playing position. “I’ll play us something as we head over there.”</p><p>“Oh, gosh. Here we go,” Lou said, playfully rolling her eyes at her best friend.</p><p>Ravi tried to keep his cool as Lou and Xander walked beside him down the hallway. He had expected Xander to be grateful for the guitar but he hadn’t expected Xander McCormick and Lou Hockhauser to walk him to his locker. It wouldn’t be long until the first bell rang, so the hallway was crowded with groups of students. He could feel the eyes of the underclassman on him as the three of them stopped at his locker. Xander had attracted a group of giggling freshman girls as he played covers of pop songs on his new-to-him guitar. </p><p>Ravi opened his locker and Lou peeked inside to see the way he had decorated it with pictures of his family and lizard. She said, “So this is the locker of a science fair champ. Huh, I thought there’d be more awards?”</p><p>He was about to explain that all his awards and medals were in a case at home, but he caught the twinkle in her eyes and realized that she was joking. </p><p>“Is that the lizard Xander was telling me about?” Lou asked as she pointed at a picture of his pet.</p><p>“Yep, that’s Mrs. Kipling,” Ravi answered.</p><p>“Ah!” one of the freshman girls screamed as she eyed the picture in Ravi’s locker. </p><p>The scream startled Xander and abruptly ended his song. He and the other girls looked to the picture that caused the commotion. </p><p>“What the heck! That thing is disgusting!” the freshman shouted. “You’re a freak!”</p><p>Embarrassment flooded over Ravi. He was seconds away from slamming his locker shut and rushing to his first class, but Lou’s voice kept him in place.</p><p>“Rude,” Lou gasped as she narrowed her eyes at the girl. “Xander, please get a handle on your fan club.” </p><p>The freshman girl looked embarrassed and crossed her arms, but didn’t say anything else.</p><p>Lou turned her back to the girls and focused her attention on a picture of Mrs. Kipling. “Aww, is she wearing a pink bow?”</p><p>The bell rang before he could answer her question. Lou glanced at Xander over her shoulder and said, “Another day…”</p><p>“...another boring math lecture,” Xander sighed. </p><p>“See ya, Ravi,” Lou said sweetly as she stepped away from his locker.</p><p>Xander waved goodbye and left with Lou for class. The freshman girls dispersed. </p><p>Ravi swapped some books from his backpack and locker and hurried to class. He hated being late even if his brother Luke had made a habit of it. His brother normally drove them to school, so they would always arrive right at the bell, meaning Ravi would always arrive at his first class slightly disheveled from rushing from the parking lot to his locker to class. But now that he had his own car and license, he drove them to school for the first time that day. Luke wasn’t too happy about leaving earlier, but Ravi told him about meeting Xander with the guitar and he didn’t argue too much afterward. It also worked out in his favor that Luke’s new girlfriend always arrived at school early and Luke wanted to hang out with her before class.</p><p>Ravi smiled at the clock above his teacher’s desk and mentally noted that he wasn’t out of breath from running like a maniac down the hall because for the first time in months he was at least three minutes earlier than the late bell. His desk was in the front row and the one closest to the door.</p><p>“Hey, Ravi,” a friendly voice greeted him.</p><p>Ravi gave the guy a slight wave. He wasn’t trying to be rude, but the guy had never spoken to him in the past. Ravi shook his head and opened his binder to the section where he kept his notes. </p><p>“Sup, Rav,” another voice greeted him as the person passed by to the center of the classroom.</p><p>“Hello,” Ravi mumbled in confusion. Before he could return to his notes, two of his friends from the reptile club surrounded his desk. He gave them a friendly smile and said, “Good morning…”</p><p>“Are you popular now?” Harold Thomas asked in a rush, cutting Ravi’s greeting short.</p><p>“What do you…” Ravi started but was cut off again.</p><p>“I saw Xander and Lou at your locker,” Tyler Chen interrupted.</p><p>“Why would they be talking to you?”</p><p>“Yeah, you’re not only a nerd, but you’re a geek. That’s two strikes. Even if you are Luke Ross’s brother.”</p><p>“Gee thanks,” Ravi replied flatly.</p><p>“Dude, it’s true. You’re friends with my dorky little sister Tiffany and she’s like...a nerd,” Tyler continued. “That’s so lame.”</p><p>Ravi almost pointed out that Tiffany was way smarter than Tyler even though she was five years younger than them, but he didn’t want to start an argument. He glanced at the clock. Only a minute until class started.</p><p>“My cousin texted me that she saw you sitting with Eric at lunch yesterday and he wasn’t like stealing your lunch or anything,” Harold said with wide eyes as Tyler nodded along.</p><p>Ravi glanced to his left and noticed that two more classmates were obviously listening in on their conversation. It finally clicked in his brain as to why sophomores that had never spoken to him in class before were now greeting him as they entered the classroom and why his friends were asking so many weird questions.</p><p>“Look, I sold my guitar to Xander this morning. That’s why he was at my locker. And Hazel dates Eric now, so we have lunch together. That’s all,” Ravi explained, uncomfortable from the attention.</p><p>“What about Lou?” Tyler asked.</p><p>The late bell rang and Ms. Rivers instructed everyone to get to their seats. She directed their attention to a PowerPoint presentation. Ravi tried to focus on the lesson, but his thoughts were split. He knew being seen with Hazel and Eric at lunch may draw some attention, but he didn’t realize being around Xander for less than ten minutes in the hallway was such a big deal. And Tyler’s question lingered in his mind: <em> What about Lou? </em>The simple explanation was that Lou was best friends with Xander so of course she was with him at Ravi’s locker earlier. But she had also sat with him yesterday at study hall.</p><p>His phone buzzed. He nearly panicked but Ms. Rivers didn’t seem to notice as she continued to explain the information on the screen. He quickly placed his phone in his binder and tilted the binder slightly to read the group message from Harold and Tyler:</p><p>
  <em> I heard Lou and Eric broke up.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She’s so pretty. I bet she smells like strawberries or something.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ravi, does she smell like strawberries?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Is she getting back with Eric?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Tell her she can get with me! </em>
</p><p>Ravi closed his binder to cover his phone. He wasn’t amused by his friends thirsting over Lou. He had known Harold and Tyler since seventh grade and he was sure they were not what Lou was looking for in a guy. During their impromptu picnic and briefly during study hall, she had talked of romance and Valentines. Harold had once told him Valentine’s Day was a corporate holiday invented to sell chocolate and roses. And Tyler’s girlfriend broke up with him last month because he spent ninety-nine percent of his time arguing online with people in his fandom and not nearly enough time talking to her. No, they were definitely not the type of guy she needed if she wanted the type of romance that he had hoped to find for himself one day.</p><p>________________________________________<br/>
 <br/>
Inside the girls’ locker room, Lou finished her braid in the mirror. Her hair hadn’t dried correctly earlier that morning so she decided to tame it before gym after she had changed into her school-mandated t-shirt and shorts. </p><p>“I noticed that someone’s been busy liking all your photos,” Jessica said as she waved her phone in the mirror beside Lou. </p><p>Three other girls stood up from a nearby bench and rushed over to hear the gossip.</p><p>“Is it for the chairs I made?” Lou asked excitedly as she grabbed the phone from Jessica. She frowned and looked up from the photo of herself giving the peace sign in front of a bonfire. She sighed, “Does no one appreciate the fact that I make custom wood chairs?”</p><p>“Stop being weird, Lou. Forget the chairs. Branson has been liking your pictures,” Jessica smirked. She bounced on her toes and demanded, “Check your phone! I bet he’s DM’d you.”</p><p>All the girls squealed over the football player but Lou practically gagged. She handed Jessica back her phone.</p><p>“No way, Lou! You get all the best guys,” one of the girls said brightly. “I don’t get nothing.”</p><p>Jessica pulled up a photo of Branson and practically drooled. “He’s so hot!” she said to the agreement of the other girls.</p><p>“He’s the worst!” Lou exclaimed in disbelief. “He has actually walked right into a party at Eric’s before and told me to make him a sandwich!”</p><p>“Gross,” one of the girls said as she scrunched her nose in distaste. “Pass.”</p><p>“Exactly,” Lou said with a firm nod.</p><p>Not wanting to hear more about Branson from Jessica, Lou made her way out of the girls’ locker room. She spotted Luke on the bleachers on the other side of the gymnasium. He was the most popular junior at their high school, so of course he was surrounded by a group of good-looking people who were all laughing and joking around. He saw her and waved her over.</p><p>“Coach said we’re playing dodgeball today,” Luke said once Lou climbed up the bleachers to join the group. “Play on my team? You’ve got the second-best arm in class.” He flexed and winked at two girls that were a few steps down and gazing up at him. “I’m the best, naturally. So, we’ll destroy the other teams.”</p><p>The girls giggled and whispered to each other as Lou rolled her eyes. She said to Luke, “Aren’t you supposed to be winking at Nina Montez, now?”</p><p>Some of the guys in the group chuckled at Lou’s jab while some of the girls grimaced in jealousy at the reminder that Luke was no longer single. He nodded like she had a point and then started planning out loud whom else he wanted to play on his team for dodgeball. </p><p>“You look good today, Lou,” one of the guy’s in Luke’s inner circle commented as he scooted to sit closer beside her.</p><p>“Dante, we’re all wearing the same thing. It’s gym,” Lou replied good-naturedly. She knew he was flirting, so she quickly made her exit. “I’m going to go help set up for the game.”</p><p>Thankfully, he didn’t follow. Dante Ramirez was impossibly hot, but he was a player. She had known him for years because she babysat his little brother Jorge, so she knew exactly the kind of guy he was and that kind was not for her anymore. She didn’t finally end things for good with Eric just to settle for another guy just like him. Another guy she couldn’t change from a frog to a prince because they would always be and always were just frogs. She frowned as she unpacked the red dodgeballs from the bag. Her mood deflated like a bad dodgeball at the thought that maybe she would only attract douchebags for the rest of her life. She would never have a Valentine if that ended up being the case. She glanced back up at the bleachers and saw Dante checking her out. He blew a slimy kiss at her. It didn’t make her heart beat faster or give her butterflies or make her nervous. But it did make her glare at him and decide who’s face she was slamming with a dodgeball first.</p><p>Her thoughts were interrupted by Luke, who had climbed down the bleachers and walked over to the sports equipment. He grabbed another bag of dodgeballs and began to unpack them.</p><p>“Hey, you have study hall with my brother, right?”</p><p>“Who? Ravi?” Lou smiled at the mention of the guy she had only recently started to notice.</p><p>Luke gave her an amused look and said, “Yeah.” He pitched his voice higher and batted his eyelashes as he mocked, “Ravi.”</p><p>Lou felt her face heat but she kept her expression neutral as she replied, “What is it, Luke?”</p><p>“My phone died so I can’t text him. But can you tell him to head home without me today? I’m going with Nina after school,” Luke explained as he dropped dodgeballs to the gymnasium floor.<br/>
“Didn’t you drive him to school, though? I mean, it’s fine. I can drop him off home if he needs me to. Does he need me to?” she said in a rush.</p><p>Luke gave her a look and smirked, which made her face heat even more. She hadn’t sounded as casual as she had meant to and she wasn’t sure why it came out like word vomit.</p><p>“He brought his car. Can you just let him know to go without me?” Luke raised his eyebrows at her and added, “Unless you get tongue-tied and shy trying to talk to your new boyfriend…” He batted his eyelashes and raised his voice again, “Ravi.”</p><p>Luke laughed at his own antics but Lou glared at him. </p><p>She picked up a dodgeball and threatened, “Do you really want a dodgeball slammed into that pretty face of yours?”</p><p>He held back his chuckles and pouted. “Well, you’re a killjoy just like him. You two will be perfect together.”</p><p> </p><p>________________________________________<br/>
 <br/>
Unlike some of his peers, Ravi actually chose to study and do homework during study hall. At least, that’s what he normally would be doing. But today he couldn’t focus on his environmental science notes without glancing up at the entrance of the school’s library every thirty seconds. He knew that he normally arrived to study hall before Lou and her friends, so he was hoping to get a chance to wave hello to her as they walked in. He didn’t expect her to sit with him again, even if he secretly hoped that she would.</p><p>“Maybe they decided to skip,” he said to himself after more than fifteen minutes ticked by without Lou walking into the library. </p><p>He himself had never skipped a class. He was too afraid of getting into trouble to even chance it. He wondered if he had somehow missed her walk into the library. Or maybe she had arrived early? He barely had time to register his next thought before his feet were marching him to the back of the library. </p><p>“If Coach Johnson picks his nose one more time during gym, I’m going to scream,” Jessica said dramatically as Tanya and Lou grimaced.</p><p>The other girls at the table laughed as winter sunshine streamed into the window at the back of the library. The small table looked even smaller with the girls all crammed around it with their bags and books. Ravi felt a small flutter in his chest as his eyes landed on Lou, who was seated in the middle of the group with a sweet smile.</p><p><em> “Salut,” </em> Ravi greeted her. He said it louder than he had meant, which caused a few strange looks from other groups in the back of the library. Lou’s friends collectively raised their eyebrows at him. He contemplated slowly backing away and then never showing his face in public again.</p><p><em> “Salut,” </em> Lou replied with a grin. </p><p>“Salute? Why are guys saying that?” Tanya asked as she scrunched her nose at Ravi.</p><p>“Not ‘salute’,” Lou explained. <em> “Salut. </em> It’s like a casual way to say hi in French.”</p><p>“Oh,” Tanya replied in a bored tone. She asked Ravi, “You look familiar. Do I know you?”</p><p>“For starters, we go to the same school,” he answered as he waved his hand around the library. He blandly added, “We’re also lab partners in the class right after this. Remember, the teacher assigned partners yesterday?”</p><p>“Mmm…” Tanya said with her brows furrowed.</p><p>“He’s Luke’s kid brother,” Jessica said as she took a selfie in the sunlight from the window.</p><p>“That’s right,” Tanya said as she snapped her fingers. She said to Ravi, “Hey, can you tell your brother I said hi. Oh, and that I’m like really funny.”</p><p>“Why would Ravi put in a good word for you when you literally just forgot that he was your lab partner?” Lou asked Tanya beside her. </p><p>“Because that’s what lab partners do for each other. Right, Ronnie?” </p><p>Ravi didn’t have the heart to correct her so he let it go. He was about to say his goodbyes to Lou, but she spoke before he could.</p><p>“Ravi. His name is Ravi. And Tanya, you know Luke is seeing someone. Just because we’re in high school doesn’t mean that we all have to have commitment issues,” Lou said in an annoyed tone. </p><p>“Told ya she wasn’t over Eric,” Jessica half-whispered to the girls at her right.</p><p>“I don’t want Eric!” Lou shouted as she dramatically stood up from the table, causing her notebook to slide to the floor. She continued to fuss as she picked up the notebook and gathered her other things, “I don’t want another Eric. Or Branson. Or Noah. Or Dante!”</p><p>“Ooo, Dante,” Tanya said, wiggling her eyebrows.</p><p>Lou sighed and said, “I just want…” Her eyes landed on Ravi and some of the anger that had bubbled up inside of her began to simmer down.</p><p>“I just want to study for my French class,” Lou sighed with a tired tone. “Can I join you at your table?” she asked Ravi with a look in her eyes that made it clear that she wanted out of her current situation. </p><p>“Of course,” Ravi said without hesitation even though he had been shocked by her outburst. He took a few steps over to her to take her books, which she let him carry. He could hear hushed murmurs as she followed him to the front of the library. </p><p>“They make me madder than a mule sometimes,” Lou said in a frustrated tone as she plopped down in the chair across from Ravi’s at his study table. </p><p>“Trust me, I get it. Two of my best friends were being very annoying this morning,” Ravi said as he placed her books on the table.</p><p>“What did you do about it?”</p><p>“Ignore them. You know, like any mature person would do,” he joked.</p><p>Lou laughed and she felt the last of her anger leave her. She smiled at him and apologized, “Sorry you had to witness my meltdown.”</p><p>“You’ve seen me drenched in rain like a sad puppy,” Ravi said. “We all have our low moments.”</p><p>“Thanks.” She opened her textbook and flipped the pages. “Oh, and before I forget. Luke wanted me to tell you something.” She looked up at him, “I was going to tell you at the end of study hall, so I wouldn’t bother you. When I walked in, you looked so focused on your notes.”</p><p>Ravi kept his face neutral even though internally he was berating himself for missing when she had walked in. He asked, “What was it? Wait, let me guess. He’s ditching me for Nina.”</p><p>“Guess you know your brother pretty well,” Lou chuckled.</p><p>Ravi watched her focus return to her textbook and he felt his stomach drop. He wasn’t ready for their conversation to be over. He frantically searched his brain for something to say.</p><p>“Um… uh…”</p><p>Lou lifted her eyes from her book and asked, “Yeah?”</p><p>“Oh, I’ve got it!” He exclaimed when a topic popped into his brain. His eyes widened and he said quickly, “I didn’t mean to say that part out loud. I mean...what was the date you planned yesterday?”</p><p>Lou looked at him for a moment before she realized what he was talking about. “Oh, right. Yep, I had something planned every day this week for Valentines. So, yesterday was Monday. I had booked us a cooking class over by the old theater and we were supposed to make a Valentines themed dinner. It was pasta and chocolate cake. I gave the reservation to my mom and had her bring me leftovers.”</p><p>Ravi nodded, “That was sweet. At least your mom and dad got to have a romantic dinner.”</p><p>“Nah. My dad wanted to watch the game, so my mom took my aunt. But it still worked out cause my aunt got the instructor’s phone number.”</p><p>“Well, good for her,” Ravi laughed and Lou couldn’t help but laugh along.</p><p>“How was your drive to the beach yesterday?” Lou asked.</p><p>The bell rang loudly. For the second time, Ravi was saddened by the looming end of their conversation. He couldn’t help the look of disappointment on his face when she began to pack up her bag.</p><p>“Walk me to my locker?” Lou said as she packed. “I’ve got to hear about your first trip.”</p><p>She said it as if it were a perfectly normal request for her to ask of him. He was stunned for a moment, but snapped out of it when he saw her stand. He quickly gathered his things and then followed her out of the library. </p><p>“So… the beach?” Lou asked as they weaved through the crowded hallway.</p><p>“Right. Well, I had been so looking forward to it as a Valentine’s trip that I thought it’d be silly to drive an hour to the beach for no reason,” he answered honestly. </p><p>“No,” Lou drawled. “The reason was that it was supposed to be your first trip with your license. The beach is your farmer’s market, Ravi!” She exclaimed, referencing her first trip in her own truck.</p><p>“I suppose… I guess my farmer’s market will be the school,” Ravi said with a shrug as he stopped beside her at her locker. “Because that’s the only place I’ve driven.”</p><p>“Again, it’s so unfair that our plans were ruined cause of Eric and Hazel,” Lou said as she swapped books out of her locker. She closed her locker as she started, “If I were your Valentine…” her breath hitched when her gaze met his and the rest of her sentence was lost.</p><p>The hallway was packed with students, but it felt like they were the only two people in the world and neither of them had ever felt that way before. It was so startling, that they both bashfully looked away from each other. </p><p>“I better get to class,” Lou said as she chanced a glance in his direction. “If I’m lucky my French teacher won’t call on me to read out loud again.”</p><p>He nodded and wordlessly turned to walk away. Lou did the same. But she hadn’t made it several steps before she heard his voice in the distance. She turned to see him in the crowded hallway and her heart smiled as he waved at her.</p><p><em> “Bonne chance,” </em> he shouted, wishing her good luck, before turning and continuing down the hall toward his own classroom. </p><p>________________________________________<br/>
 <br/>
Luckily for Lou, Monsieur Robert had not only cancelled the day's reading, but had opted to play a movie in class as well. It was a documentary entirely in French and as soon as the lights were shut off, Lou was sure that a majority of the class had fallen asleep. Monsieur Robert didn’t normally play movies in class, but he seemed to be busy with some papers on his desk. Lou stared at the images on the screen but her brain didn’t process them. She was too stuck in that moment in the hallway with Ravi. It was like no one else existed. What was that? She leaned her elbow on the desk and held her chin as she stared off into space. </p><p>“If I were your Valentine,” she muttered below a whisper to herself. That’s what she had said to him at her locker. The rest of her thought had been that if she were his Valentine, she would be happy to drive to the beach with him. She felt a little stupid for thinking so when she barely knew him, but whenever they talked it felt like they were already friends.</p><p>She traced a crack in the ceiling with her eyes as the documentary continued to play like background noise. She wondered how Luke knew that she had study hall with his brother. Her eyes widened and her palm felt sweaty beneath her chin. Did Ravi talk about her? Did he ask about her? Was that why Luke was teasing her in gym today? </p><p>She dropped her elbow and let out a breath that she didn’t realize she had been holding. Out of all the guys that had shown an interest in her today, he was the only that caught her interest. Her face heated with embarrassment. She didn’t know if Ravi was really talking to Luke about her. She could be making the entire thing up in her head. She took her phone out of her pocket and hid it in her textbook. She typed a message to Xander:</p><p>
  <em> Hey, u in class w/ Luke? </em>
</p><p>She waited a moment. She wasn’t sure if Xander and Luke had English together, but she was pretty sure one of them had mentioned it in the past. She really hoped she was right. A reply popped up and a conversation with her best friend began:</p><p>
  <em> Yea</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ask him about his bro</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I’m his bro</em>
</p><p>
  <em>No, Xander. His brother</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Y?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Does he ask about me?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Luke?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>No! Ravi</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Idk. Wut do u want me to ask?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Give Luke ur phone</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Y text him</em>
</p><p>
  <em>His phone is dead... Nvm </em>
</p><p>Lou kept enough restraint not to bang her head against the desk in frustration. She blew out a breath through her nostrils and slouched at her desk. Maybe she was overthinking everything. He was sweet and funny and actually wanted to be a good boyfriend, so of course she had hoped he would be asking about her. But that didn’t mean that he was. Another message popped up on her phone:</p><p>
  <em> He says 2 ask Ravi out </em>
</p><p>She couldn’t help the mix of nerves and excitement that she felt after she read the message.</p><p> </p><p>________________________________________<br/>
 <br/>
The school day had ended and Ravi walked in a daze to his locker. He had been wrapped up in his thoughts ever since that startling moment in the hallway with Lou. He was sure that he had just failed his pop quiz, but he already had an A in the class and the lowest pop quiz grade was dropped anyway. The fact that he wasn’t freaking out about possibly making a failing grade was a testament to how scattered his mind was right then. He didn’t understand what had happened when he looked in her eyes and everything around him, including time, went still. It had never happened before.</p><p>“She play Fortnite?” Tyler asked as he strolled up to Ravi’s locker.</p><p>“What?” Ravi asked as he opened his locker. He glanced at the picture of Mrs. Kipling that Lou had pointed out earlier and he felt his heart skip a beat at the memory of her taking up for him.</p><p>“Lou. Does she?” Tyler continued. “Oh, what about <em> Voltron. </em> Does she watch <em> Voltron?” </em></p><p>Ravi furrowed his brow as he stacked binders into his locker. He had no idea what Lou’s hobbies were, but he didn’t want Tyler involved in them. He winced at the thought. Would he be jealous if she formed friendships with members of the reptile club that weren’t him? That wouldn’t be fair.</p><p>“Earth to Ravi,” Tyler said, snapping his fingers in his friend’s face. “I need answers.”</p><p>Ravi closed his locker and said, “Uh, I don’t know.” He turned away from Tyler, hoping he wouldn’t follow, and began to walk down the hall. It had emptied out quickly after the final bell had rang.</p><p>Tyler followed and asked, “What’s she into? Do you think I’ve got a shot if I ask her out?”</p><p>They both winced as they stepped out of the school and into the sunlight outside. It was chilly but not cold for February. Groups of friends hung out in the parking lot. There were some people who had already changed into their uniforms for whatever sports team they had practice for that day. </p><p>“Aren’t you the one that told me that popular kids don’t even notice us,” Ravi said flatly as he side-stepped someone going by on a skateboard.</p><p>“That was before I was friends with a guy who hangs out with seniors,” Tyler said, smiling confidently. “Are you going to help me out?”</p><p>Ravi stepped off the sidewalk and continued toward his car with Tyler at his side. He let out a breath and said, “I don’t know, Tyler…”</p><p>They both stopped at Ravi’s car. Tyler pouted with his hands beneath his chin and begged, “Please? Please? Please!”</p><p>“No!” Ravi shouted, unable to restrain his annoyance any longer. “She’s…” He tried to think of what he wanted to say, but he wasn’t sure what that was. She’s too good for a guy that will ignore her most of the time? She’s looking for something that Tyler would think was stupid or girly because Tyler had said so when Ravi had tried to express what he was looking for? She’s Ravi’s new friend and he doesn’t want to share her?</p><p>He decided not to say any of those things and instead shrugged with his head hanging low and said, “Fine.”</p><p>“Yes!” Tyler cheered. He paused his celebration when he saw the subject of their conversation approaching. He smacked Ravi’s shoulder with the back of his hand and said, “Dude, dude, here she comes.”</p><p>Ravi lifted his gaze and his vision got brighter as if the sun had just risen over a dark sky. He couldn’t help the smile that formed on his lips even though he was exceedingly frustrated with himself for not telling Tyler to back off. </p><p>“Hey, Ravi,” Lou greeted him with her own smile. She glanced at his friend and added, “Hi, Tyler.”</p><p>Tyler looked dumbstruck. He stammered, “You know my name?”</p><p>“Course,” Lou said good-naturedly as she adjusted the school bag on her shoulder. “I babysit Jorge all the time and he’s friends with your little sister. You’re Tiffany’s brother, right?”</p><p>Tyler nodded enthusiastically. Ravi fought hard to ignore the pangs of jealousy he felt. He knew it was stupid, but he couldn’t help it.</p><p>“Tiff is hilarious. I love her,” Lou continued. “They’re both great kids.”</p><p>“Yeah, Tiff’s the best,” Tyler parroted as he leaned casually against Ravi’s car. “She’s always going on and on about how I’m the best big brother ever.”</p><p>Lou chuckled at Tyler.</p><p>“You called her dorky,” Ravi muttered as he resisted the urge to shove Tyler off his car.</p><p>“Oh? Is that right, Tyler?” Lou smirked and raised her eyebrows at him.</p><p>“I was kidding,” Tyler forced a chuckle as he gave Ravi a cutting look. He quickly changed his expression to a sweeter one as he leaned away from the car and faced Lou. “So… I heard you and Eric were donezo.”</p><p>“Yep,” Lou responded politely. She could tell that Tyler thought they were vibing when she was only being nice, but honestly, she wasn’t as disgusted as she had been when Dante tried to flirt with her earlier. She glanced at Ravi and her heart sank slightly. He looked completely bored. She wondered if she had interrupted him hanging out with his friend.</p><p>Encouraged by her response, Tyler asked boldly, “You want to go get a hot chocolate?”</p><p>Ravi had never wanted to kick someone in the shins so badly in his entire life. Not even Eric when he was playing tonsil hockey with Hazel last Saturday. Sure, Ravi’s feelings had been hurt, but he wasn’t really jealous. Ravi and Hazel had held hands and even hugged on occasion, but she had never expressed any interest in kissing him and he never pushed the subject. Seeing her passionately making out with Eric this afternoon at lunch was nothing like the betrayal he felt at the thought of Tyler buying Lou a hot chocolate. </p><p>Lou stood frozen. She glanced at Ravi again, hoping for some sort of indication that he didn’t want her to go out with his friend. But he looked unfazed. Lou’s heart sank further. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to ask Ravi out? That had been her plan when she spotted him in the parking lot. She had even left her keys with Xander. She was hoping he would need to drive himself home because she’d be hanging out with Ravi. </p><p>She returned her attention to Tyler, who looked hopeful. She said, “Um…”</p><p>Someone honked their horn in the distance. She could hear music playing from the speakers in the car down the row from them. </p><p>“Uh…” she continued. She couldn’t help looking at Ravi just one more time. Each time before, he hadn’t made eye contact, but this time he did. And there were butterflies. Lots of them. And not just in her gut. They were in her head and in her toes. </p><p>“No thanks, Tyler,” Lou said sweetly as she gave him a sympathetic smile. She folded her arms behind her and tilted her head to the side slightly. “I, um, was sort of wanting to go... to the beach?”<br/>
“The beach,” Ravi repeated as he straightened his shoulders. Lou nodded and his eyes brightened. His heart threatened to beat loud enough for everyone in the parking lot to hear, but he didn’t care. When she looked into his eyes, time stood still and people faded away like some sort of magic trick.</p><p>“But it’s like forty degrees out,” Tyler said in confusion. “We can’t swim in that.”</p><p>“Not for swimming. For walking along the shore… talking,” Lou said with her gaze still on Ravi. “About everything… or nothing. Because it’s poetic.” He smiled at her and she smiled back.</p><p>“That sounds so boring,” Tyler said, shaking his head and adjusting his backpack. “But you are Lou Hockhauser and if you want to freeze at the beach, uh, talking about nothing? I guess we can.”</p><p>Ravi facepalmed. He couldn’t take it anymore. “Tyler, may I have a word with you?”</p><p>“Sure, mom,” Tyler snorted as he gave Lou a goofy look. He followed Ravi to stand behind his car. “Dude, I’m about to get a senior,” he whispered excitedly.</p><p>Ravi glanced over Tyler’s shoulder to see Lou typing something on her phone. He refocused his attention on Tyler and whispered, “No, you’re not...Look, you’re my friend. And I don’t want you to take this the wrong way… but I need you to respectfully back off.”</p><p>Tyler furrowed his brow at Ravi. “Why?”</p><p>Ravi sighed. He said in a quiet voice, “Have you ever felt like you wanted someone to understand you? Like really get you. Or have you ever wanted your tummy to fill with butterflies just… just at the thought of being around them?”</p><p>“What?” Tyler asked with a blank expression.</p><p>Ravi tried not to roll his eyes. He put his hand on Tyler’s shoulder and continued to speak in a quiet tone. “There’s something… special happening between Lou and me. It’s new and, honestly, I don’t fully understand it myself, yet. But it’s...there.”</p><p>Tyler scratched his chin and nodded. “Oh, I get it! You’re hooking up. Dude, why didn’t you just say so? See if you can get me Jessica’s number.” Tyler patted Ravi on the shoulder.</p><p>“We are not hooking up,” Ravi said sternly, rolling his eyes this time. “Why is everyone at this school so shallow?”</p><p>Tyler shrugged and sauntered back to the front of the car. “So, your friend, Jessica. She into gaming?” he asked Lou.</p><p>“See you tomorrow, Tyler,” Ravi said loudly as he walked up to the two of them.</p><p>Tyler rolled his eyes and waved goodbye to Lou. Ravi watched his friend walk down the row to his own car, anxiously waiting for Tyler to turn around and continue making his afternoon worse. But it didn’t happen. Finally, free to enjoy Lou’s presence, Ravi shifted his gaze to her.</p><p>“Hi,” he said.</p><p>“Hi,” she replied. She held up her phone. “I hope you don’t mind. I told Xander to go on without me. If you think it’s too cold for the beach, do you think you could drop me off home?”</p><p>“I think the beach sounds like a great idea,” Ravi said with a bright smile. He rushed over to the passenger’s side to open the door for her and his heart beamed when she rolled her eyes at him but smiled.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Butterflies</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The car cruised steadily down the highway as Ravi drove toward the beach. The winter sun shined but it wasn’t the type of weather for rolling down the windows and letting the air rush into the car. Ravi nodded toward his phone in the cupholder as he kept both hands on the steering wheel.</p>
<p>“As my first non-relative passenger, you may have the honor of picking the music,” he joked.</p>
<p>“Is that going to be a distraction?” Lou asked as she picked up his phone. “I know some people don’t like to drive with music on when they first start driving on their own.”</p>
<p>Ravi snorted. “You’ve met Luke. Loud, annoying. After riding in a car with him and my sister, music will hardly be a distraction.”</p>
<p>Lou scrolled through his music and smirked. “I’m seeing a lot of Taylor Swift.”</p>
<p>Ravi kept his eyes on the road but he wondered if she thought his music taste was lame. His worry disappeared when the sound of a love song played from the speakers. He smiled to himself when he heard her humming along.</p>
<p>“So... uh… how was your day?” he asked. He winced and wondered how the first thing out of his mouth was the most boring question ever.</p>
<p>“Eh,” Lou shrugged as she fiddled with the strings of her hoodie. She stared out the windshield and continued, “It was sort of weird. Branson…”</p>
<p>“The quarterback?”</p>
<p>“Yeah. He sent me some annoying messages,” she said, rolling her eyes. “It’s like now that I’m not with Eric all these crummy guys are trying to talk to me.”</p>
<p>Ravi gulped. He hoped she didn’t think he was being a crummy guy. He said, “I suppose a lot of guys are happy that you’re single.” He winced again. What kind of response was that?</p>
<p>“Well, if those are the only kind of guys interested in me, then I’m gonna stay single.” She waved her hand and said, “Wait! This is my favorite part!” She sang, <em> “My heart’s been borrowed…” </em></p>
<p>Ravi automatically sang along, <em> “...and yours has been blue…” </em></p>
<p>Loudly, they sang together, <em> “All’s well that ends well to end up with you!” </em></p>
<p>They both broke out into happy laughter as the song continued to play in the background.</p>
<p>“I say that the rest of this car ride be Taylor Swift karaoke,” Lou giggled.</p>
<p>“Agreed,” Ravi chuckled.</p>
<p>And for the next forty minutes the two of them laughed and sang along to the playlist on his phone. When they finally reached the beach the parking lot was mostly empty. On the beach itself there were a few people in lounging chairs or flying drones. </p>
<p>Lou inhaled deeply as they walked along the shore, filling her lungs with salty ocean air. She smiled and said, “I love the beach.” She pointed at the water. “Isn’t that beautiful?”</p>
<p>“Indeed, it is,” Ravi nodded as he admired the foamy waves. He smiled at her and said, “Thanks for coming along.”</p>
<p>“No problem,” she grinned. “And great driving by the way.” She bunched her shoulders as a slight chill went by and they continued walking. “I’m glad Tiffany’s brother didn’t decide to join us,” she said.</p>
<p>“Me too,” Ravi murmured. </p>
<p>Lou heard him and chuckled. He glanced over at her and frowned when he saw her shoulders bunched. He asked, “Are you too cold? Should we head back?”</p>
<p>She shook her head and said, “Nah, I’m fine.” She flexed her fingers and added, “My hands just get cold pretty quick.”</p>
<p>“Oh, here,” Ravi said and, without thinking, he stopped in front of her and held her hands. Her hands were cold in his hands, but the contact made his heart feel warm. He realized what he had done and shyly looked up from her hands to her eyes. “Sorry,” he apologized. He loosened his grip on her hands.</p>
<p>“Don’t be,” she smiled as she squeezed his hands lightly. “They feel better now...but maybe you should just hold one so we can keep walking?”</p>
<p>“Sure,” he agreed quickly. </p>
<p>They continued walking along the water, holding hands. Lou smiled to herself, enjoying the warmth of her fingers interlocked with his. She couldn’t remember the last time that Eric had held her hand. Sure, Eric had lazily thrown his arm around her shoulder in the hallways or draped his arm around her waist at parties, but he wasn’t much for holding hands. </p>
<p>“Are you taking French? Is that why you know so much?” Lou asked.</p>
<p>“No, my mom has to travel a lot for work and most of that work is in Europe, mostly France. My older sister actually goes to a boarding school in Paris. We all took French lessons, but only Emma and I really paid attention. Emma is my sister,” Ravi explained.</p>
<p>“Fancy,” Lou nodded. “I bet you miss your sister, huh?”</p>
<p>“I do. She’s as annoying as my other two siblings, but she’s still my sister. And I do miss her fashion advice.” He looked up at the sky and watched a bird flying up ahead. “She’s your age, so she’ll be graduating soon, too.”</p>
<p>“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Lou said, tilting her head back dramatically. “I’m so glad I applied early. Everyone’s freaking out about college.”</p>
<p>Ravi felt his stomach drop. He mentally counted about three months in his head. It had been so easy to forget that Lou’s senior status meant that she would be leaving high school soon and he still had two more years to go.</p>
<p>“Have you received your acceptance letter?” he asked, subconsciously grasping tighter to her hand.</p>
<p>“Yep!” Lou grinned as she joyfully swung their connected hands. “It’s the public university here. I’m going to save so much money by living at home instead of on campus. I mean, some of my friends think it’s weird that I don’t care about living in the dorms, but my dad doesn’t want me to have to deal with student loans.”</p>
<p>Waves in the distance gently crashed into each other. A little kid wearing a fluffy sweater wobbled by, giggling and waving, as the child’s father followed behind. Lou eyed a shell and stopped to pick it up with her free hand, refusing to let go of his.</p>
<p>“Pretty,” she cooed before blowing the sand off of it and putting it into her pocket. “So why aren’t you at some fancy boarding school in France?”</p>
<p>“I considered it,” Ravi replied honestly. “Especially my freshman year cause Emma was already there. And it’s not like I have a huge friend group here. But I didn’t want to start completely over.”</p>
<p>Lou nodded, “I get that.”</p>
<p>“Plus, my dad went to private schools when he was growing up and he didn’t like it much,” Ravi said. Another question popped into his mind and he asked, “Did Xander apply for early admission, too? Is he going to the same school?”</p>
<p>She shook her head and said brightly, “Nope. He’s doing community college first, which is awesome for me because he’ll still be around and we can hang out. But he’ll probably transfer to an out-of-state school later on.” She picked up another shell. “What about you, Mr. Science Fair Champ? What are you doing after graduation?”</p>
<p>He admired the sandy shell in her hand. It had jagged edges and an orange hue. She handed it to him and he smiled. “I’ve narrowed it down to my top five choices based on how rigorous their engineering and science programs are.”</p>
<p>“Well, you’ve got time to figure it out. I started working at a day camp when I was sixteen and it made me want to become a teacher. That’s why I’m going to major in education,” Lou said. She scrunched her nose. “Hazel worked there, too. But all she did was terrify the kids.”</p>
<p>Ravi chuckled. “I believe it. If she were here right now, she’d be throwing seashells at the seagulls or something.”</p>
<p>Lou laughed and nodded as she leaned closer to him. “I know, right! So... tell me more about your family. Were you all adopted?”</p>
<p>When there was a little over an hour until sunset, Ravi decided that it was best to get going. He was still a new driver, so he didn’t want to be so far from home at night. It had also gotten colder outside and he could tell Lou was freezing even though she kept saying she was fine. </p>
<p>“So, what type of music do you have on your phone?” Ravi asked as he turned the steering wheel to back out of the beach parking lot. </p>
<p>“Oh, if we play music off my phone, it’s gonna get real country in here, real quick,” Lou replied as she held her hands in front of the vent where the heated air flowed on the passenger’s side.</p>
<p>“Look on my phone and select Zuri’s playlist. My little sister loves country music.”</p>
<p>Soon an upbeat country song played on the speakers and Lou clapped her hands. “I love this song!” she cheered happily. “They played it homecoming. I had to take off my heels to really dance to this.” She grimaced and added, “I shouldn’t have. I stepped in bubblegum.”</p>
<p>Ravi laughed and glanced at her quickly before shifting his eyes back to the highway. He wished he had gazed at her pretty face more while they were at the beach because now it was torture to keep his eyes on the road. But he was disciplined enough to stay focused. And he didn’t want to get into a car accident on his first trip.</p>
<p>“Did you go to homecoming?” Lou asked.</p>
<p>“I was at the football game to support Luke. He was on the homecoming court, again...As was Xander...as were you…”</p>
<p>Lou rolled her eyes. “The only downside of being best friends with Xander. I’ve been on homecoming court like every year and they never let me bring my goat Gerty on the field. It’s not fair cause they let the stupid mascot on the field and he isn’t even a real bear.”</p>
<p>“It’s the top hat and bowtie that give it away.”</p>
<p>“Exactly!” She chuckled and then asked, “But did you go to the dance?”</p>
<p>He shrugged as he turned onto the exit that would lead them back home. He said, “I wasn’t dating Hazel, yet. And none of my friends except for Tyler and his ex-girlfriend wanted to go, so I just stayed home with Zuri and watched funny movies.”</p>
<p>“No,” Lou drawled. She slouched in the passenger seat as she scrolled through his phone to pick a different song. “You should’ve gone with Luke and you could’ve hung out with us! All Luke and Eric did the whole time was try and out dance each other. And Xander’s date kept parading him around. If you were there, I would’ve had someone to talk to.”</p>
<p>He glanced at her again and smiled. “Now I regret not going...I really like talking to you.”</p>
<p>He didn’t see if she smiled back or not. There was some traffic on the road because it was still a Tuesday evening. He had both hands on the steering wheel, but he could still feel how icy her hands had felt in his as they stood along the shore. He wanted to hold her hands again.</p>
<p>By the time he drove her to her house, it was already dark outside, but it wasn’t late. Lou glanced at the time on her phone and saw that it was about six o’clock. Ravi had parked in her driveway as they playfully argued about the cafeteria’s pizza special.</p>
<p>“Just accept that you’re wrong and that the pizza special is delicious,” Lou said as she held her school bag in her arms. She rested her shoulder against the passenger’s side seat.</p>
<p>“No way! It’s basically cardboard with red sauce and slimy, processed cheese,” Ravi grimaced.</p>
<p>She chuckled and her heart skipped a beat when he smiled at her. They had been parked for at least five minutes, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave the warmth of his car. Sure, the temperature had dropped a few degrees outside, but it wasn’t the car’s heater that was making her feel toasty and cozy. She wished he would hold her hands again.</p>
<p>“So... I should probably get going,” Lou said reluctantly as she sighed. “I’ve got math homework.”</p>
<p>“Right,” Ravi agreed. </p>
<p>“Right,” Lou echoed. She put her bag on her shoulder but didn’t make any more movements to leave. She tried to think of something else to say in order to keep their conversation going so she wouldn’t have to leave. It felt too soon to go even though she had spent most of the afternoon with him. “Well...um…” she stalled.</p>
<p>“So, you said you had booked a cooking class for yourself and Eric? That was Monday’s date. What had you planned for today?” Ravi asked.</p>
<p>Lou felt her shoulders relax. She put her bag back down and answered, “A bonfire in my backyard. I had bought some stuff to make s’mores.” At that moment Ravi’s tummy growled. He looked embarrassed, but Lou was ecstatic. She had an excuse for him to stay. “You know, it wouldn’t take long to get a fire going. And you’re probably starving since we haven’t eaten anything,” she said casually. “When do you have to be home?”</p>
<p>“Um, eight?” Ravi guessed. He didn’t normally go anywhere on a school night, so he hadn’t really needed a curfew. But he knew his dad always told Luke to be home by nine, so he figured eight was an acceptable time for him.</p>
<p>“Great!” Lou opened the passenger’s side door. She said to him over her shoulder, “Let’s go.”</p>
<p>She heard Ravi shut off the engine and he followed her into the house. The television volume was up loud, so she knew her dad was home and in the den. She was the youngest in her family, so all of her older brothers had moved out of the house already. Her mother was a manager at the dairy plant on the other side of town, so Mrs. Hockhauser always got home late.</p>
<p>“Pa! I’m home,” Lou shouted as she walked towards the kitchen.</p>
<p>“What!” her dad called back.</p>
<p>“I said I’m home, Pa! I’m gonna use the firepit with my friend, Ravi!” She shouted as she placed her school bag on the kitchen table. </p>
<p>“Who?”</p>
<p>“Ravi, Pa!” Lou waved Ravi over to the sink and offered him some soap.</p>
<p>“He watch <em> the wheel </em>?” </p>
<p>Not sure how to respond, Ravi looked to Lou for guidance as he rinsed the soap from his hands. She nodded a yes and so he shakily shouted back, “Yes, sir!”</p>
<p>Mr. Hockhauser grunted loudly in response. Lou dried her hands with a paper towel. “That means he likes you,” she said. She grabbed a bag of marshmallows from the fridge as she said to Ravi, “Hey, can you look in that cabinet behind you and grab a box of graham crackers.”</p>
<p>After they collected the s’mores supplies, she had him follow her out to the backyard. It was a large backyard that made her house seem tiny in comparison. Even though it was dark, the fences for the animals were visible. There were two benches around the firepit. Ravi sat at one and began stacking chocolate bars on graham cracker squares while Lou started the fire.</p>
<p>Lou held her hands out in front of the fire and sighed. It was colder out and even though she had loved every second of walking on the beach earlier, she wasn’t sure how much longer she could stand the February weather. She felt dumb because it was her silly idea to come back outside. She looked over her shoulder at Ravi. He didn’t look bothered by the cold as he put marshmallows on the skewers. He caught her looking at him and when their eyes met her heart did a backflip in her chest.</p>
<p>“Are you okay?” He asked with his voice full of concern. He frowned. “You’re cold, aren’t you? We can heat these up in the microwave and they’ll be just as delicious.” His stomach growled again. “And I’m about ten seconds away from having this entire bag of marshmallows myself.”</p>
<p>“Microwave s’mores,” Lou gasped dramatically. “And you have the nerve to not like the ‘cardboard’ pizza at school? Those marshmallows deserve an open flame.”</p>
<p>“Well, your teeth are chattering, Lou, and I don’t want to be responsible for you freezing to death. I’m sure Xander would pummel me with his new guitar,” Ravi said as he stood from the bench.</p>
<p>Lou stood from her crouched position by the firepit and said, “The fire will be warm enough soon.” She waved away her wispy cloud of breath that danced in the cold air.</p>
<p>“Lou,” he said unconvinced. </p>
<p>“Fine… Oh, wait! I’ve got it,” she said excitedly as she held up one finger. “I’ll be right back.”</p>
<p>“Okay,” he drawled as he sat back down on the bench.</p>
<p>Lou hoped she didn’t look too lame as she rushed back to the sliding door that faced the backyard. She muttered to herself as she tried to remember where she had put the blanket she had recently purchased. It was a wool and cotton blanket perfect for wrapping up in by the campfire. Finally, she found it and hurried back outside. When she returned, she saw that Ravi had already made a few s’mores and placed them neatly on a plate. He smiled at her return.</p>
<p>She unfolded the blanket and said, “I forgot I had bought this for the bonfire.” </p>
<p>She noticed that he shivered slightly in the cold. Her original intention when she had bought the blanket from the camping store near the lake, she liked to fish at was to snuggle by the fire with her boyfriend during Valentine’s week. She had thought it would be romantic to be cozy under the stars while they roasted marshmallows. But now she didn’t have Eric at the firepit. She had Ravi. And that made her face feel hotter even though it was cold out and her heart beat faster than she thought was possible. She had to make a decision quickly because she was just standing there staring at him like a weirdo, so before she lost her nerve, she plopped down beside him on the bench and wrapped the large blanket around both their shoulders like a cape.</p>
<p>“You looked cold,” she stammered when he looked at her with wide eyes. He did look cold, but she really just wanted an excuse to be closer to him. For a second, she was afraid that he would shrug the blanket away and go home.</p>
<p>“Uh, thanks,” he replied before shyly looking away. “It has gotten cold out here.” He shifted his gaze back to her and gave her a small smile, “But I’m warm now.”</p>
<p>She made an embarrassing sound, a mix between a snort and a giggle. If she weren’t so happy, she’d be humiliated. </p>
<p>“I hope you don’t mind. I made some of the s’mores while you were gone,” he said as he lifted the plate. </p>
<p>“Thanks,” she grinned as she snuggled closer to him.</p>
<p>Their bonfire only lasted about an hour. They ate s’mores and exchanged stories about things that had happened in the cafeteria or at football games or in the hallway. At some point they started holding hands again but neither one of them said anything about it.</p>
<p>________________________________________<br/> <br/>For the second day in a row, Lou had to wake up earlier than usual to go to school. Tanya had sent her a text last night asking for a ride to school, so when Xander picked her up to bring back her truck, they went straight to Tanya’s house.</p>
<p>Xander hopped out of the truck to let Tanya get in the backseat. She was carrying a large box.</p>
<p>“My car’s being weird and I didn’t want my project to get smooshed on the bus ride,” Tanya explained as she settled into the backseat.</p>
<p>“No problem,” Lou said as she checked her hair in the mirror. She had put in more effort than usual to make it look extra bouncy and shiny for the day.</p>
<p>“Nice hair,” Tanya said.</p>
<p>On the passenger’s side, Xander put on his seatbelt and smirked. “Someone trying to impress their new beach buddy?”</p>
<p>Lou’s face flushed with slight embarrassment as she bit back a smile. She shook her head no, but her best friend knew the answer was really yes. </p>
<p>“Beach buddy?” Tanya asked curiously.</p>
<p>“Ravi took Lou to the beach yesterday,” Xander explained over his shoulder to Tanya. He turned back to Lou and asked, “So, how was it? Did you have fun?”</p>
<p>Lou flexed her fingers on the steering wheel. She remembered how perfectly her fingers interlocked with his as they held hands at the beach and by the fire.</p>
<p>Tanya gripped the back of the driver’s seat and leaned forward to ask in disbelief, “Wait, the guy from study hall is why you’re ghosting Branson?”</p>
<p>“I told you already, I don’t want to go out with Branson.”</p>
<p>“But he keeps texting me asking what’s your deal.”</p>
<p>Xander scrunched his nose and shook his head, “I don’t want her to go out with Branson either.” He nudged Lou’s arm with his elbow, careful not to knock her hand off the steering wheel. “So, are you going to tell me what happened with Ravi?”</p>
<p>“Ugh! But Ravi’s so boring,” Tanya complained as she slouched in the backseat. “He knows like all the answers in class and whenever he gives an answer it’s like an entire lecture.”</p>
<p>Lou ignored her friend and sighed dreamily as she thought about her day with Ravi. She said, “We walked by the water and held hands. He told me about his family. Did you know he has a sister in Paris?”</p>
<p>Xander’s face lit up and he nodded. “Yeah, I met her once. Emma. She was home to see Luke play in the baseball game. She’s awesome.”</p>
<p>“I remember Emma Ross. We went to middle school together,” Tanya said. “I follow her on Instagram. She’s gorgeous.”</p>
<p>“She is,” Xander murmured softly to himself as he stared out the windshield. The school building was in view from the stoplight where they were currently waiting.</p>
<p>“Okay, so Ravi has a cool sister and a hot brother,” Tanya shrugged. “I guess that’s interesting.”</p>
<p>“He’s fluent in French, too,” Lou said brightly. </p>
<p>“Omg,” Tanya smirked with a glint in her eye. She leaned forward again and playfully smacked Lou on the arm as she said, “You made out with him at the beach.”</p>
<p>“No!” Lou gasped. She gave Tanya a shocked look as she kept her foot on the break. The driver in the car behind them beeped her horn because the light had turned green.</p>
<p>“You said he was fluent in French,” Tanya said with a confused look.</p>
<p>“French, the language, Tanya. Not kissing,” Lou replied in an annoyed tone as she drove toward the school. </p>
<p>Xander broke out into laughter, his shoulders shaking as he leaned against the window.</p>
<p>“Oh. Then he’s back to being boring,” Tanya said. She shrugged, “But whatever. He’s your little boyfriend. And don’t even think about ditching us again today in study hall, Lou. He has to sit with us if he wants to sit with you.” </p>
<p>Xander wiped away a stray tear and chuckled, “I think Ravi’s a nice guy. I hope you go out with him again.”</p>
<p>Tanya scrolled through her phone and said, “Hey, do you think I’d look good with fuller eyebrows?”</p>
<p>Xander looked over his shoulder and said, “Eh, you’ve got the face for either style. Do you think I should grow my hair out or go shorter?”</p>
<p>Lou ignored the rest of her friends’ conversation as she parked her truck. She didn’t want to talk about Tanya’s eyebrows or Xander’s hair, she wanted to talk about her day with Ravi. She glanced at her phone as they walked up to the building. She hoped he came to school early again, but she couldn’t remember where or which locker was his. She sighed as Xander and Tanya chatted behind her as she took a book out of her bag and put it in her locker. </p>
<p>“Lou!” Xander shouted with a chuckle.</p>
<p>She blinked and asked, “Huh?”</p>
<p>“I said do you think you could watch Griff tonight? My parents are going out for their anniversary. And I’ve got a set at the coffee place tonight,” Xander explained. “Could you watch him from like after five until ten tonight?”</p>
<p>Lou tried not to frown. She loved Griff and she was happy that Xander got paid to play music at the coffee shop, but she had wanted to see if Ravi had plans to hang out that night. She’d ask Tanya to do it, but Tanya was terrible with kids. </p>
<p>“No problem, buddy,” Lou said with a small smile. </p>
<p>“Thanks!”</p>
<p>Xander beamed at her and it made her feel better. The first bell rang and they headed to math class.</p>
<p>________________________________________<br/> <br/>“I hate when you do this,” Ravi fussed at his brother as they rushed across the parking lot toward the school.</p>
<p>“I know. See ya,” Luke grinned before sprinting inside the building.</p>
<p>Ravi rolled his eyes. He had wanted to arrive at school early, but as always, Luke took forever to get out of the house. He could never fathom how someone who wore basically the same thing every day took so long to get ready. </p>
<p>The hallway was nearly empty as most people had already made it to their classrooms. He knew he didn’t have much time before the late bell rang. He frowned. He had really wanted to see Lou before the day started. He knew she had Mr. Elba for math first period, but he wouldn’t have time to walk by there and go to his locker too. And if he didn’t go to his locker now, he wouldn’t have time to get rid of the heavy books in his backpack until lunchtime. </p>
<p>“Oh, well,” he mumbled as he rushed down the hallway.</p>
<p>By the time he got to the classroom, he was flustered and his breaths were short. He stood in the doorway to Mr. Elba’s classroom and his eyes quickly searched the room of juniors and seniors all standing around talking and laughing. When his gaze landed on her, he felt the rest of his breath being taken away. She hadn’t seen him yet and he couldn’t find his voice to call out for her attention. He almost turned away when suddenly she looked over and saw him in the doorway.</p>
<p>“Good morning, Lou!” he shouted loudly. He felt more eyes on him as some of her classmates looked out the door. He shuffled the heavy backpack on his shoulders awkwardly as he cleared his throat.</p>
<p>Lou giggled and waved as she greeted him, “Good morning, Ravi!”</p>
<p>“Hey, Ravi!” Xander spoke as he tipped his chin and leaned casually against a desk.</p>
<p>Ravi waved hello to Xander and then glanced at Lou one more time. Her smile was as bright as her eyes and it made him want to melt. But there was no time. If he didn’t leave then, he would be late to class and risk getting his first detention. So, he smiled back at her and then sprinted as fast as he could down the hallway.</p>
<p>He got to class about thirty seconds after the late bell, but his teacher only gave him a warning. Being the goody two shoes that he was, he of course felt guilty. So, he made sure to pay attention in class and thoroughly answer the teacher’s questions to make up for it, even though he wanted to stare off into space and think about how nice Lou’s smile was instead. When class was over, Tyler caught Ravi’s arm as he headed out the door.</p>
<p>“Dude, can you watch Tiffany for me tonight?” Tyler asked.</p>
<p>Ravi didn’t normally hesitate to do his friends a favor, but he had really wanted to see if Lou could hang out tonight. He asked, “Um...well...why can’t you?”</p>
<p>The two of them waded through the sea of students as they made their way to their next class on the far side of the huge building. </p>
<p>“I want Beth to take me back,” Tyler explained. “You reminded me of how awesome it was to have a girlfriend.” </p>
<p>Ravi thought about what he had said to Tyler yesterday. He asked with a smile, “So you feel like Beth understands you? She gives you butterflies?”</p>
<p>“What? No,” Tyler said, brushing off Ravi’s mushy comments. “She smells good and she’s got a good graphics card for Fortnite.”</p>
<p>Ravi rolled his eyes. He said flatly, “I thought you wanted Jessica’s number yesterday?”</p>
<p>“Nah. Beth already messaged me and said if I drove her to that arcade by the abandoned mall then she’d take me back.”</p>
<p>“Oh, the one with the old machines from the ‘80s? I thought it was being closed down?”</p>
<p>“It is. Which is why she said if I don’t take her today, then she’d change her mind about being with me again. So, can you babysit Tiffany?”</p>
<p>Ravi and Tyler walked up the stairs that led to the second floor of the building. Ravi wondered if the only reason Beth, who was a freshman, was considering taking Tyler back was because he had a car. </p>
<p>“So, she’s using you for your car?” Ravi asked bluntly.</p>
<p>“Who cares! Look, I’m going to text my parents that you’ll babysit Tiffany. Thanks,” Tyler said as he patted Ravi on the back and took out his phone. “Be there at six.”</p>
<p>“Fine,” Ravi muttered as they walked into the classroom. “I’ll let my dad know.”</p>
<p>________________________________________<br/> <br/>Lou walked out of the locker room with Jessica. They had changed for gym class and were talking about the fitness test that they would have to take in a few weeks. From the corner of her eye, Lou saw Dante walking towards them.</p>
<p>“Hey, Jessica,” he said politely. He lowered his voice and added, “Hey, Lou.”</p>
<p>“Hi, Dante,” Jessica said in a breathless tone.</p>
<p>Lou rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. She muttered, “Hello.”</p>
<p>“You two ready for the fitness test? I just did two hundred pushups,” he said as he waved the hem of his shirt, flashing his abs.</p>
<p>“Oh, boy,” Jessica said, biting her lip.</p>
<p>Lou grimaced at her friend. She was sure Dante had barely done ten pushups because class had just started. He also never fully participated in gym unless they were playing dodgeball or basketball. All he did was flirt with girls or goof off with his friends.</p>
<p>“It made me kinda hot,” Dante said. And in one swift motion he pulled off his t-shirt.</p>
<p>Jessica stumbled and Lou was afraid that she’d have to catch her friend. She raised her eyebrow at Dante’s muscles. He might not have participated in gym, but it was obvious he found the time to work out somewhere.</p>
<p>“So, Lou. You got any plans Friday?” Dante asked as he flexed.</p>
<p>“I hope so,” she replied honestly. </p>
<p>“Pick her up at eight!” Jessica suggested enthusiastically as she gawked at Dante.</p>
<p>Dante grinned triumphantly and said, “Cool.”</p>
<p>Lou clenched her teeth and then said, “Oh! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean with you…”</p>
<p>Coach Johnson blew his whistle and shouted from across the gymnasium, “Ramirez! Put your shirt back on! Now!”</p>
<p>Dante put back on his shirt and then made it obvious that he was checking out Lou. He said, “Cool. Let me know if you change your mind.” And then he confidently swaggered over to the metal bar where his friends were doing pull-ups.</p>
<p>“Are you crazy!” Jessica fussed as she smacked Lou’s arm.</p>
<p>“Ow!”</p>
<p>“That human fire just offered you a flame and you don’t even care!”</p>
<p>Lou shrugged and walked over to the mats to stretch. She bent her knee and held her ankle as she balanced on one leg. Jessica stood across from her and mirrored her position.</p>
<p>“Lou, if this is about Eric…” Jessica started.</p>
<p>“I told you. I’m over Eric.” She smiled at the memory of Ravi waving to her outside of Mr. Elba’s math class. She knew it had almost been time for the late bell, which meant he had risked being late just to say hi to her. “I’ve moved on.”</p>
<p>Realization washed over Jessica’s confused expression. “No,” she gasped. “Are you turning down Dante for Luke’s baby brother?”</p>
<p>“He’s not a baby,” Lou argued with a frown. “He’s sixteen...and he’s mature for his age. He’s already planning which colleges he wants to go to. He narrowed it down to his top five. And he dated Hazel. She’s our age.”</p>
<p>“Hazel’s a wakadoo, so don’t even go there. And sure, he’s cute, but I can’t believe you’re hanging out in the kiddie pool…” Jessica looked over her shoulder to gawk at Dante “...when you could dive into the deep end.”</p>
<p>Lou smacked her lips and switched to balance on the opposite leg. She said, “Whatever, Jess. If I cared about the deep end, I’d be a lifeguard with Xander at the community pool. Plus, that analogy is stupid. Just because Dante’s eighteen doesn’t make him any more mature. If anything, he’s less. Whenever Ravi looks at me, he really looks at me. Like into my eyes.” She let go of her leg and stretched her arm across her chest. “Whenever Dante looks at me, it’s never in my eyes.”</p>
<p>They both looked over to where Dante was across the room. His eyes were focused on the way Lou’s shorts fit. She shook her fist at him threateningly and he quickly looked away. Lou blew out an annoyed breath before sitting down to do sit ups. Jessica got down as well and held Lou’s feet for her.<br/>“Does baby Ross have as much game as his big brother?” Jessica asked as she looked over at Luke. He and another junior were doing sprints while Coach Johnson timed them.</p>
<p>“That’s the thing about Ravi,” Lou said as she lifted into a sit up. “There’s no weird game with him. It’s just...there’s something between us. Like we both understand each other.”</p>
<p>“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jessica replied honestly.</p>
<p>“It’s like...we’re looking for the same thing. We both believe in romance. And he thinks Valentine’s Day is special.” She did a few more sit ups as she tried to put her thoughts and feelings into words. “We both...it’s just… Okay, so you know how in the movies, you know, those really sappy ones where two people just look at each other and time seems to stop for them and the audience knows it and the characters know it and…”</p>
<p>Jessica gave Lou a blank look. “When did you start hanging out with him?” she asked.</p>
<p>“Last Saturday,” Lou said sheepishly as she paused her sit ups. She added quickly, “But it feels like we’ve known each other way longer than that. Really! It’s like...we’ve been friends for years or something.”</p>
<p>“You know today’s Wednesday, right?” Jessica said. She snorted, “Wow! Guess he does have game. You’re already in love with him.”</p>
<p>“No, I’m not,” Lou huffed. “Just count my sit ups, so we pass the stupid fitness test, please.”</p>
<p>________________________________________<br/> <br/>Ravi walked out of the lunch line with his tray in hand. The cafeteria was noisy as always as he shuffled between tables, chairs, and students to get to his usual table. It was empty and he couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed. When Eric and Hazel weren’t making out or saying rude comments, they were actually entertaining to be around. Eric would say things so stupid that Ravi couldn’t help but chuckle and Hazel always had a hilarious comment about something going on around them in the cafeteria. </p>
<p>“At least I can mope in peace,” he sighed. </p>
<p>He was still feeling the disappointment of not being able to hang out with Lou afterschool. He had wanted to take her ice skating. That had been the date he had planned for Hazel because she loved to ice skate. Hazel was an incredible ice skater. He figured it was because she did a lot of roller derby. But whenever they went, she’d make him watch from the sidelines so he wouldn’t get in her way. He figured Lou would be willing to actually teach him to skate. And it would’ve given him an excuse to hold her hands again.</p>
<p>“Hey, loser. You watch the Mega Mutants campaign I sent you? What’d you think?” </p>
<p>Ravi blinked as Hazel plopped down in the seat across from him. She tossed him a greasy bag of fries. Eric sat beside her and draped his arm lazily across her shoulders. She giggled as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. Ravi jumped slightly when one of the chairs beside him was slid back. A senior from the baseball team sat down with his own bag of greasy fast food. </p>
<p>“Uh… it wasn’t bad. We’ve done much better ones,” Ravi replied as he tried to understand what was happening.</p>
<p>Two more people, a junior girl that he recognized from the homecoming court and a senior guy that he recognized from the student council, joined their table as Eric bit into a burger that was dripping with sauce. </p>
<p>“You better eat those fries, Ravi. I spent money on them,” Hazel demanded as she broke apart her chicken nuggets.</p>
<p>“Um, thanks, Hazel,” he said as he carefully dumped the fries onto his tray.</p>
<p>“I couldn’t get into Mutants,” the baseball player said as he wiped the mustard off his thumb.</p>
<p>“Cause you’re too dumb to play,” Hazel said in a bored tone.</p>
<p>Eric nodded. “She’s right. It’s cool, though. I don’t get it either.”</p>
<p>“What’s Mutants?” the guy from the student council asked.</p>
<p>“Who cares,” the girl from homecoming court said as she tapped her phone. “Listen to this.” A fast-paced song played loudly from her phone. The girl bounced her shoulders to the music.</p>
<p>“You have no taste in music,” Hazel said loudly.</p>
<p>The girl ignored her and continued to bob along to the music. The baseball player hopped out of his chair and onto the table to dance. Ravi quickly moved his tray and the burger that the baseball player had tossed to the side. The cafeteria erupted with cheers at the spectacle as upperclassmen gathered around the table and underclassmen looked on.</p>
<p>Ravi glanced around. He wasn’t used to being this close to the action whenever something unusual happened. Hazel and Eric were laughing and cheering the baseball player on as he did a backflip. Before he could do any more tricks, a teacher came over shouting and ending the festivities.</p>
<p>“Good lookin’ out, Rav,” the baseball player said as Ravi handed him back his mustard-covered hamburger.</p>
<p>Before Ravi could respond, the sound of more chairs being scooted across the floor interrupted him. Jessica brought a chair to his right and Nina brought a chair to his left. Ravi’s quiet table went from zero guests to five guests to a mob and then settled to seven upperclassmen in less than fifteen minutes. As a socially awkward person, the entire situation was a lot for Ravi. His siblings were much more accustomed to being in the action than he was.</p>
<p>“I’m not even sending this video to your brother or you know he’ll skip,” Nina joked to Ravi. </p>
<p>He laughed lightly and said, “He would. And try to start a dance-off or something.”</p>
<p>“He’s adorable, but he’s such a showoff,” Nina said good-naturedly as she peeled an orange. “But then again, so are you.”</p>
<p>“Got that right,” Hazel agreed as she munched on her fries. “His room is like a shrine to himself with all those dumb awards and medals.”</p>
<p>“Is that, right?” Jessica said as she lazily swiped some fries from Ravi’s tray.</p>
<p>Ravi widened his eyes at Nina Montez in disbelief at her accusation. She was usually nice. And whenever she was with Luke, she always said hello to Ravi, but she had never approached him at lunch. “No, I’m not,” he said in offense. “I’m not a showoff.”</p>
<p>“You win like every nerdy thing there is,” Eric said as he stuffed fries into what was left of his burger. “Remember that trophy I stole from you in the hallway last year?”</p>
<p>Ravi narrowed his eyes at Eric and said in monotone, “Yes. And you never returned it to me.”</p>
<p>“Duh. Do you know how proud my dad was when he thought I won the robotics competition?”</p>
<p>“But you didn’t win. I did,” Ravi said. He ate a few of his fries to keep himself from saying anything harsher. He had really wanted to keep his robotics trophy.</p>
<p>“And all of our teachers reminded us that we were morons because a freshman won,” Hazel said, rolling her eyes. “Do remember how Mrs. Armstrong went on and on about Ravi Ross in chemistry last year?”</p>
<p>“Omg, I remember that!” Jessica said. She playfully narrowed her eyes at Ravi. “I didn’t realize that was you. Guess any sophomore that already has his top five colleges picked out can’t be a neanderthal like the rest of us.”</p>
<p>“Speak for yourself,” Hazel snorted. “I expect a ton of acceptance letters next month.”</p>
<p>“Are you going out of state?” Eric asked in a worried tone.</p>
<p>The rest of the table broke out into chatter about college, but Ravi ignored it. He turned to Jessica and asked in a quiet tone, “How’d you know about my top five colleges?”</p>
<p>“Lou told me,” Jessica shrugged. “Give me half your fries and I’ll split these chips with you.”</p>
<p>“Sure,” Ravi answered absentmindedly. </p>
<p>His head was swimming with thoughts. Lou was talking about him to her friends? He couldn’t help but smile to himself. He wondered what else she had said, but he wasn’t brave enough to ask in front of all the people at the table. He wanted to talk to Lou himself because it felt like too many hours had gone by since he had last seen her and it was almost unbearable. His face heated with embarrassment. How could he miss someone so much when he had only just begun being around them? It didn’t make sense, but he didn’t care.</p>
<p>He thought about sending her a text, but then he had a better idea. He grabbed a notebook and pen out of his backpack and wrote a quick note. </p>
<p>“Jessica, will you see Lou before study hall?” he asked the girl beside him. She nodded and he gave her the note. “Would you deliver this for me, please?”</p>
<p>Without hesitation, Jessica unfolded the note and scanned it. She pouted and said, “No fair. This isn’t in English. And it’s only like two lines.”</p>
<p>He chuckled and said, “No, it’s French. And yes, I know.”</p>
<p>“Alright, baby Ross. Dante may have the abs, but I doubt he’s writing any love notes in French. So, points to you,” Jessica said as she folded the note and put it in her pocket.</p>
<p>Ravi didn’t know what she meant, so he thanked her and finished eating his greasy fries and potato chips.</p>
<p>________________________________________<br/> <br/>Lou walked down the hallway in a dreamlike state. She was surrounded by her friends as they walked toward the library for study hall, but she didn’t hear a word any of them said. All that replayed over and over in her head were the words of her note from Ravi. He had said that he missed her. And that she gave him butterflies.</p>
<p>“Butterflies,” she whispered to herself. </p>
<p>That first day they had spent together snacking on sandwiches and cookies in her truck felt like an eternity ago. That was the first time either of them had mentioned butterflies. How they hoped butterflies in the tummy and perfect moments were real.</p>
<p>She walked into the library and saw him sitting at the table near the entrance. He was concentrating on a textbook open in front of him. Without even looking at her, he gave her butterflies. </p>
<p>“Calm down, Lou. The rest of us are still here,” Jessica said sarcastically. </p>
<p>Tanya and the other girls giggled as Lou’s face went hot and she quickly looked away from him.</p>
<p>“I’ll meet you guys in a sec,” Lou said. “I’m gonna ask Ravi to join us.”</p>
<p>Her friends left and when she was standing alone near the door, she saw him look up at her. She knew she was grinning at him like an idiot but she couldn’t help it. She practically skipped up to him and said in a bubbly voice, “Hi.”</p>
<p>He looked nervous as he said, “Hello.” He fidgeted with the pencil in his hand and wouldn’t make eye-contact as he asked, “Did you...um...Did you get my note?”</p>
<p><em> “Oui,” </em> she said a little breathless. “And same.”</p>
<p>He finally looked at her in awe and at that moment she felt like she could fly like one those seagulls they saw at the beach. </p>
<p>“I was hoping we could hang out again after school,” Lou said, “But I have to watch Xander’s little brother, Griff.”</p>
<p>“I was hoping to take you ice skating today, but I have to babysit Tiffany,” Ravi replied.</p>
<p>Lou’s eyes lit up as she got an idea. She said, “Then we should team up. Griff and I can meet you and Tiffany at the ice rink.” <br/>“That’s a great idea,” Ravi said brightly. </p>
<p>“Great!”</p>
<p>“Great!”</p>
<p>They gazed at each other, smiling and much happier now that their plans now included each other. Lou heard someone whistling and she looked over her shoulder to see Tanya waving her over. </p>
<p>“Oh, um, do you want to sit with us?” Lou asked. She could tell he wasn’t sure, so she added, “They’re not happy about me ditching them to sit with you, so the new rule is you sit with us. I know it’s dumb, and you don’t have to if…”</p>
<p>“Do I get to sit next to you?” he asked, interrupting her.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” she smiled.</p>
<p>Without another word, he collected his things and followed her to the back of the library.</p>
<p>________________________________________<br/> <br/>Short walls formed a large rectangle around the ice where new skaters held onto the edges and onlookers leaned over to cheer on their friends. Lou and Griff had arrived early and were skating with ease around the rink. Kid friendly pop music blared from the speakers and bright, white lights were high above the ice.</p>
<p>“Hey, let’s head over to the benches. My friend should be here soon,” Lou said as she skated towards the exit. </p>
<p>Griff followed her and sat on the bench beside her with his ice skates on. He asked, “Why’d I have to come along on your date again.”</p>
<p>Lou rolled her eyes. “It’s not a date.” She wished it was. Minus the little kids, of course. But she was happy to spend time with Ravi even if it weren’t just the two of them. She explained to Griff, “And you can’t be home alone. Plus, you know you love spending time with me.” She wrapped him in a side hug, which he immediately squirmed out of.</p>
<p>“Whatever,” Griff muttered even though he wore a slight smile. “You owe me ice cream after this.”</p>
<p>“Deal,” Lou said as she shook his hand.</p>
<p>“So,” he said, looking around the rink, “who are we waiting for anyway?”</p>
<p>Lou’s eyes lit up when she saw Ravi approaching. He was still a good distance away, but he must have spotted her too because he was smiling right at her. He was carefully carrying three pairs of ice skates and there were two young girls chatting with each other behind him. She recognized one of them as Tiffany.</p>
<p>“There they are,” Lou said, pointing a gloved finger in their direction.</p>
<p>Griff looked over and his eyes widened. He yelped and quickly turned away, shielding his face with his hand. He shouted above a whisper, “Lou! How could you!”</p>
<p>Lou gave him a confused look. “What? Why are you hiding?”</p>
<p>Griff grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the ice. He panicked, “We’ve got to get out of here!”</p>
<p>Lou kept her balance and held them in place by the bench. She asked calmly, “Griff? What’s going on?”</p>
<p>“Those two girls are Tiffany Chen and Zuri Ross. And... I’m kind of...hanging out with both of them…”</p>
<p>Lou’s confused look morphed into one of understanding and she gasped, “Griff!”</p>
<p>He looked over his shoulder and saw that the group was almost to him and Lou at the bench. It didn’t seem as though the girls had noticed him yet. He quickly said, “Got to go,” before hurrying back onto the ice and skating away.</p>
<p>Lou thought about chasing him and dragging him back to the bench, but she didn’t want to cause a scene. She blew a breath out her nostrils as she kept an eye on him as he weaved between other skaters on the rink.</p>
<p>“Hi, Lou!” Tiffany said brightly.</p>
<p>Lou turned to smile at Tiffany. She opened her arms wide and said, “Come on, Tiffany. You know I’m a hugger!”</p>
<p>Tiffany rolled her eyes and chuckled as she took a few steps over into Lou’s embrace. Lou gave her a squeeze and then looked up to smile at Zuri.</p>
<p>“And you are?” Lou asked politely.</p>
<p>“I’m the girl that can’t believe my brother actually has a date,” Zuri said. “You know, who isn’t a complete wakadoo.” She turned to Ravi and said, “She looks normal. How’d you pull that off?”</p>
<p>Ravi glared at his sister and said, “Lou, this is my sister Zuri.”</p>
<p>Lou kept one arm around Tiffany and lifted the other to wave Zuri forward. “Bring it in,” she said brightly.</p>
<p>“Almost normal,” Zuri muttered before joining the group hug. </p>
<p>Lou let go of the girls so they could sit on the bench and put on their ice skates. The place was busy for a Wednesday, but not as bad as it had been on the weekends. There were some teen couples skating, a few parents helping their young kids wobble across the ice, and some random groups of people ranging in age hanging out on the sidelines.</p>
<p>“When I told Zuri that I was taking Tiffany ice skating, she wanted to come along,” Ravi explained as he walked over to Lou. </p>
<p>“The more the merrier,” Lou said good-naturedly. </p>
<p>She had been in ice skates the entire time, but she hadn’t felt unsteady until he got closer to her. It hadn’t even crossed her mind to hesitate hugging her friend Tiffany or newcomer Zuri, but she felt awkward beside Ravi.</p>
<p>“Um,” she said, clumsily opening her arms and hitting him in the shoulder in the process. She dropped her arms quickly and apologized, “Sorry!”</p>
<p>“It’s okay,” he said before turning to look at the skaters on the ice. “Oh, look, there’s Griff! Hello, Griff!” Ravi waved enthusiastically as Griff looked at the group like a deer caught in headlights.</p>
<p>Lou facepalmed. She wasn’t sure how much Zuri and Tiffany knew about each other, but she had a feeling her ice skating hang out wasn’t going to go as planned. She called out, “Get over here, Griff!”</p>
<p>The boy skated over slowly and held onto the edge of the wall, not exiting back to the benches where the rest of them stood.</p>
<p>“Hey, guys,” Griff drawled.</p>
<p>“Hi, Griff!” Both girls chirped with wide smiles. They didn’t seem to notice that they were both looking at Griff with heart eyes.</p>
<p>“Why don’t you all head out on the ice. I need to talk to Griff for a sec,” Lou said.</p>
<p>“Oh, I’m not great at skating,” Ravi said, still holding onto his ice skates.</p>
<p>“Me either,” Tiffany said, looking nervous. “I’ve only been once. I prefer safer activities...like not bashing my skull on ice or skating around on shoe knives.”</p>
<p>Zuri chuckled. “Shoe knives?” She shook her head and grabbed Tiffany’s hand. “I’ll help you. Don’t worry.” She carefully walked them over to the ice, but stopped for a moment in front of Ravi to say, “You’re on your own. I can only help one lost cause at a time.”</p>
<p>“Hey!” Tiffany whined as she shakily stepped out onto the ice, gripping Zuri’s hand for dear life.</p>
<p>When the girls wobbled away, Lou said to Griff through her teeth, “Over here. Now.”</p>
<p>Griff exited from the ice and plopped down on the bench. Lou stood in front of him with her hands on her hips. Griff looked guilty. Lou looked angry. Ravi looked confused.</p>
<p>“Did I miss something?” Ravi asked as he looked from Lou to Griff.</p>
<p>“Explain yourself. Do both of those girls think that you’re her boyfriend?”</p>
<p>“What! How could you Griff?” Ravi asked in a disappointed tone. He didn’t know Griff that well. He had only met him a few times when Xander brought him to play video games with Luke. But he did know that his sister didn’t deserve a cheater. And Zuri and Tiffany were getting along so well, getting to know each other. He didn’t want their new friendship ruined over a boy.</p>
<p>“No! I… Maybe? I don’t know...” Griff sighed as his shoulders dropped. He lowered his eyes to the laces of his ice skates.</p>
<p>Lou and Ravi shared a look. It started as one of concern for the kid, but then they stared for too long and got lost in each other’s eyes.</p>
<p>“Aren’t you going to ask what happened?” Griff squeaked, obviously wanting to talk about his problem.</p>
<p>“Oh! Uh, right,” Lou blinked and refocused her attention on Griff, mentally shooing away the butterflies that she had felt fluttering around in her stomach. She sat beside Griff on the bench and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.</p>
<p>“Yes, tell us what happened,” Ravi said as he sat on the other side.</p>
<p>“Well... I’ve been following Zuri on Instagram cause, duh, she’s really cool,” Griff explained as he looked out onto the ice. He spotted Zuri pointing at something and laughing. He smiled and continued, “And when I went with Xander to Luke’s house, I got to actually meet her. And she’s so awesome…” He frowned.</p>
<p>“But?” Lou asked. She patted his shoulder lightly to encourage him to continue.</p>
<p>Griff looked up at Lou with sad eyes and said, “But she goes to another school. And there’s this Valentine’s dance at my school this Friday. And I wanted to ask her…”</p>
<p>“But it’s only for fifth graders at your school,” Ravi continued Griff’s sentence with a nod. “And let me guess. You asked Tiffany to the dance?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Griff answered. He said in a rush, “And Tiffany’s nice, too! And I know she kind of likes me...so when she asked if I was going and I knew I couldn’t go with Zuri…”</p>
<p>“I see. So, you asked Tiffany to go,” Lou said.</p>
<p>“Now they’re both going to hate me,” Griff said as he watched Tiffany cling to Zuri as they wobbled across the ice.</p>
<p>“Probably,” Lou said bluntly. Griff and Ravi both looked up at her in shock. She shrugged, “I know the wrath of an eleven-year-old girl. It ain’t pretty.”</p>
<p>Griff grabbed Ravi’s arm and pleaded, “Dude, you’ve got to help me! You drove here, right? Get me out of here while they’re not looking.”</p>
<p>Ravi exhaled and shook his head while giving Griff a sympathetic look. He said, “I’m sorry, Griff. But you’ve got to be honest with them. If you like my sister, then you can’t take another girl to the dance without telling her the truth. And if you were really Tiffany’s friend, you wouldn’t lead her on.”</p>
<p>“Ravi’s right,” Lou said. “You’re eleven. The way you treat people now is important for how you treat people later. Especially girls that you want to date. Do you think Xander would two-time a girl?”</p>
<p>“No way,” Griff answered adamantly. </p>
<p>“Exactly. And you want to be a good guy like your brother,” Lou said. “And like Ravi.”</p>
<p>Ravi smiled encouragingly at Griff and added, “And like you. So, go ahead and tell them the truth. Don’t worry. We’ll be right here.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Lou agreed.</p>
<p>Griff looked to each of them before taking a deep breath. He clenched his fists and stood up to walk over to the ice. He gave them one last look over his shoulder and they both raised their thumbs up in support. He slid out onto the ice.</p>
<p>Lou scooted closer to Ravi on the bench. She leaned to the side while she kept her eyes on Griff on the ice and asked, “How do you think it’ll go?”</p>
<p>Ravi watched Griff skate up to the girls. He said nonchalantly, “Oh, Tiffany will most likely push him. And Zuri will probably cut him.”</p>
<p>Lou looked at him with wide eyes.</p>
<p>“I’m kidding,” Ravi chuckled. He tilted his head slightly and added, “Mostly kidding.”</p>
<p>They watched as Griff talked to the girls. From their spot on the bench, they could see Tiffany’s expression sadden and her shoulders drop. </p>
<p>“Poor Tiff. It’s always tough getting your heart broken,” Lou said with a frown.</p>
<p>“Did Eric break your heart?”</p>
<p> “Nope,” she sighed. “A caterer named Mordecai. He was serving potato salad at a family reunion.”</p>
<p>Both of their eyes widened when they saw Zuri shove Griff onto the ice. He landed on his butt. Lou’s head shot up and she quickly rushed over to the ice. She skated over to Griff, but by the time she got there, he was already back on his feet with some help from the girls.</p>
<p>“Don’t bruise him up too bad, gals. I still got to return him home in one piece,” Lou said as she checked to make sure he hadn’t gotten hurt.</p>
<p>“He deserves more than one little push,” Zuri said. “But I guess he never actually said he was my boyfriend.”</p>
<p>“But I want to be your boyfriend!” Griff said, overly eager. He noticed the sad look on Tiffany’s face. He said in a softer tone, “Sorry, Tiff.”</p>
<p>“It’s fine,” Tiffany said, forcing out a laugh. “I’m not even allowed to date anyway.”</p>
<p>Lou kept a neutral face, but she felt bad for Tiffany. It wasn’t easy liking someone who didn’t like you back. </p>
<p>Zuri gave Griff a skeptical look. She asked, “Do you really like me?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” Griff answered quickly. </p>
<p>“Alright. You can be my boyfriend,” Zuri said. She narrowed her eyes at him and lowered her voice to say, “But if you ever cross me again, you’ll regret it.”</p>
<p>Griff gulped and nodded. He reached out to hold her hand, but she was still holding Tiffany’s as they all stood on the ice.</p>
<p>“I’ve got to be...somewhere,” Tiffany stammered as she let go of Zuri’s hand. She made a motion to skate away, but she lost her balance and stumbled backward.</p>
<p>Zuri clumsily caught her, but not without Tiffany’s ponytail hitting her in the face. Zuri sputtered as she helped Tiffany back up, “Looks like your skating still needs work.”</p>
<p>“Here, I’ll help,” Griff said as he skated to the other side of Tiffany. He took one of her hands and Zuri took the other.</p>
<p>Tiffany looked confused as she asked, “Don’t you two want to skate as a couple?”</p>
<p>“Just because I can’t be your boyfriend, doesn’t mean I can’t be your friend,” Griff said.</p>
<p>“Yeah, and if all three of us can skate, we can trip up other people and laugh when they fall,” Zuri said excitedly. At Lou’s disapproving look, she added, “Just kidding.”</p>
<p>“Are you sure I won’t get in the way?” Tiffany asked, unsure.</p>
<p>“No way,” Zuri said nonchalantly. “Come on. Griff, Tiffany was telling me about the kid at your school who had a fart that lasted an entire minute!”</p>
<p>“Dude! It was so gross,” Griff laughed as they began to slowly skate.</p>
<p>Lou grinned at the kids. She said to herself, “Ain’t that just the sweetest thing.” She turned to see if Ravi had seen the reconciliation from the bench, but he wasn’t there. She glanced around until she realized that he was on the ice, clinging to the wall and shakily trying to keep his balance. She giggled and skated over to him.</p>
<p>“Doing alright there?” she asked.</p>
<p>“I was coming over to see if you needed help,” Ravi explained. He held tight to the wall. “I didn’t make it far.”</p>
<p>Lou laughed and Ravi was afraid that she thought he was an idiot. He knew he should have stayed on the bench, but he really did want to make sure everything was alright with his sister and friends. </p>
<p>“Take my hands,” Lou said as she held them out to him. </p>
<p>He nervously glanced at her hands and then back to the wall. He remembered how annoyed Hazel would get with him when he would fall on the ice. He didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of Lou. What if she changed her mind about spending time with him?</p>
<p>“I’ve got ya,” she encouraged as she wiggled her gloved fingers.</p>
<p>He took a deep breath and then let go of the wall. He grabbed her hands and shakily kept his balance. She chuckled and slowly skated them farther out. They took slow strides as they made progress. </p>
<p>“See, you’ve got this,” Lou said brightly.</p>
<p>She spoke too soon because he stumbled. He accidentally let go of her hands and then panic caused him to clumsily move toward her. He tripped. She didn’t lose her balance, so when he tripped forward, she caught him under his arms as his arms wrapped around her shoulders. He was so close that she had to hold her breath. She wished she had braided her bouncy hair because right now it was the only thing between his cheek and hers. She relaxed her grip, but she couldn’t stop herself from doing what she had wanted to do earlier.</p>
<p>“Are...are you hugging me?” he asked in an unsure tone.</p>
<p>She felt stupid as she mumbled, “No.”</p>
<p>They slowly backed away from each other until Ravi was an arm’s length away from Lou, but he kept a good grip on both of her hands. Again, she slowly skated them around the ice. He stumbled a few more times, but he didn’t trip again. Soon, he was skating beside her, wobbling but only holding one of her hands.</p>
<p>“We made a pretty good team back there with Griff,” Lou said.</p>
<p>“Yes, we did,” Ravi agreed with a smile. “Although I hadn’t planned on solving any pre-teen relationship problems on our group hang.”</p>
<p>“So... has anyone ever broken your heart?” Lou asked, looking over at him.</p>
<p>He thought for a moment as they skated in silence. Music, laughter, and crying sounded around them. Finally, he answered, “I don’t think so.”</p>
<p>Lou raised an eyebrow and smirked, “What do you mean you don’t think so?”</p>
<p>“I’ve had my feelings hurt, of course. I mean, it’s never fun to put yourself out there and then be rejected. And that has happened plenty of times. But I don’t think I’ve ever had my heart broken,” he said truthfully as he gazed at her. “But I’d like the chance.” He looked away from her as his face heated up and added, “I think. Maybe it would be...worth it...to care so much about someone.”</p>
<p>“Do you think you’d ever break my heart?” Lou said, surprising herself. She continued slowly skating, keeping her eyes on the ice. “You know, if you had the chance.”</p>
<p>He squeezed her hand lightly and said, “I’d try very hard not to.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>________________________________________<br/> <br/>Ravi stared at the moon outside his window. It was hours past midnight and everyone else in the house was asleep. He had tried, but his mind wouldn’t stop buzzing with thoughts of Lou. So, when he couldn’t sleep, he had watched mindless clips of cats knocking stuff off shelves. When he got bored with that, he had cleaned around Mrs. Kipling’s cage. And when that didn’t calm his brain, he pulled a chair up to his window and admired the night sky.</p>
<p>“If I had the chance,” he murmured to himself. </p>
<p>He hadn’t thought about the phrase much as he and Lou skated. It didn’t even cross his mind when they all went for ice cream or when he took Tiffany back home or when he helped Zuri with her homework. But now in the quiet hours of the night, the words tumbled around in his mind.</p>
<p>“Do I have the chance?” he wondered.</p>
<p>It had only been a few days, but there was something definitely going on between him and Lou. And it didn’t look like either of them had intentions of stopping it. But neither of them had defined it either. Were they hanging out? Dating? Would she be his Valentine?</p>
<p>“Just ask her,” he grumbled to himself as he dropped his face into his hands.</p>
<p>But he was afraid to. What if their chemistry was all in his head? But she had said that he gave her butterflies. She had said, “And same.”</p>
<p>His sleepy brain took over, making him do things he wouldn’t normally do when fully awake. He went over to get his phone off the charger. She had put her number in his phone that night that they roasted marshmallows in her backyard. He selected her contact and waited for it to ring.</p>
<p>“Hello,” she answered in a groggy tone.</p>
<p>Her voice woke him up a little and he almost panicked and hung up the phone. “Um...hi,” he said awkwardly.</p>
<p>He heard her shuffling around. She sniffled and said, “Is something wrong?”</p>
<p>“Um...no.”</p>
<p>“Oh.”</p>
<p>“This is Ravi,” he said. He winced at how stupid he sounded.</p>
<p>“Ravi,” she yawned. “I know it’s Ravi.” </p>
<p>His sleepy brain abandoned him, no longer pushing him to be daring. In his clearheaded state, he knew it was ridiculous to call anyone at 2 a.m. just to hear their voice or ask them random questions.</p>
<p>She spoke again, sounding like she was falling back to sleep, “You sure you’re okay?”</p>
<p>“Uh, yeah. I was...I was just looking at the moon. And the stars. And it made me think of you,” he rambled. He didn’t mention that he had been thinking of her before he was looking out his window.</p>
<p>“That’s sweet,” she sighed sleepily. “I’m falling...for you.”</p>
<p>Ravi felt like his heart stopped. He nearly dropped the phone. He stammered, “What was that?”</p>
<p>The other end of the call was silent. The silence restarted his heart, reviving it to beat a million miles per second. He felt faint and alert all at the same time.</p>
<p>“Hello? Lou?”</p>
<p>He heard snores and knew she had fallen asleep. His pulse slowed as disappointment overtook him. He ended the call and tossed his phone onto his desk. He lumbered over to his bed in a daze and fell backward. He stared up at the ceiling. If she was falling, then he was sure that he had already fallen. She had asked about him breaking her heart, but he was sure that if anyone did the breaking, it would be Lou.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Falling Too Fast</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> “You are my princess,” Eric said. He gave her a bright, wide grin that made Lou’s stomach do summersaults. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>They were high above the kingdom, soaring amongst the clouds on his magic carpet. The night twinkled with shining stars. He was dressed in fancy clothes fit for a prince. She was wearing a dainty blue dress. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Really?” Lou sighed dreamily.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“At least for the next fifteen minutes. Then I’ve got to pick up Bunny,” Eric shrugged as he glanced at his expensive watch. “She’s so hot.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He puckered his lips and leaned forward to kiss her, but she pressed the palm of her hand against his face.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Are you kidding me? We are literally flying through the night sky with stars and the lights of the kingdom below us are colorful and beautiful...and that’s what you say to me? That you’re just passing time until the next girl?” Lou spoke angrily.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Eric gave her a blank look. “It’s high school, Lou. What do you expect?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He shoved her shoulders and Lou yelped as she tumbled off the magic carpet. Her screams pierced the night sky as she plummeted toward the lights of the kingdom. Purples and reds and blues swirled beneath her before she splashed into the ocean. Darkness surrounded her before she swam up to the surface.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“What a jerk,” she spluttered as she bobbed around in the ocean. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Furniture and trinkets and pieces of a broken ship floated around her. She felt a chill run up her spine as the water became colder. She treaded water, looking around her. There in the distance behind her was a giant iceberg. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Over here!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>At the sound of Ravi’s voice, Lou moved her arms to turn herself around in the freezing water. She spotted him floating in a small, wooden boat. He paddled toward her and when she was close enough to hold on to the edge of the boat, he smiled at her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Aren’t you supposed to be floating on a door? Like in Titanic?” Lou asked as her teeth chattered.<br/>Ravi snorted and shook his head. “No way! A door wouldn’t support us both. We’d surely both freeze to death! I brought a boat,” he said and then lifted up a plastic bag. “And marshmallows!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She held out her hand and he helped her into the boat. She flopped down on the bench and instantly felt warm. She glanced down at her dress, which wasn’t drenched in freezing water but was dry and even prettier than before. She glanced over the side of the boat. The night sky had reset and was now painted with evening orange and pinks as the setting sun cast shadows on the water. Her silhouette now had a giant bow atop of her hair. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>A giant lizard popped its head out of the water, startling Lou. It was a leathery green and had a pink bow around its neck. It sang, “Now’s your moment. Floating in a blue lagoon…”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Lou furrowed her brow and muttered, “How many movies did I watch last night?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“No idea. But remember when you said you loved me?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Lou looked up and Ravi was still seated across from her in the boat. The bag of marshmallows he had been holding was now a bag of frogs. They leapt out of the bag one by one and made croaking sounds on the boat.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I didn’t say I loved you,” Lou stammered. Her face was burning with embarrassment and she fidgeted with her hands.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Right...you’re, and I quote, ‘falling for me,’” he said smugly. He rolled his eyes. “You’re pathetic.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Lou tried to argue back but she couldn’t find her voice. She opened her mouth but the words wouldn’t come out. The frogs hopped around the boat. Lou folded her arms, hugging herself, as she tried to look anywhere but at the guy across from her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“How idiotic are you? Do you really think someone like me could want someone like you? I’m a prince, Lou. And girls’ like you don’t get princes. They get frogs,” he said in a cruel tone, colder than the ocean water that the iceberg had been drifting in. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>A giant bullfrog, larger and louder than the rest, leaped from the bag and landed on Lou’s lap. </em>
</p><p>Lou screamed as she shot up in her bed. Her breathing was rapid as she frantically looked around her bedroom. She heard footsteps and then her door swung open.</p><p>“You alright, hun?” Mrs. Hockhauser asked her daughter in a worried tone as she looked around the room for any signs of danger. She was already dressed for work.<br/>Lou took a deep breath and shook her head. “I’m fine, Mama,” she said half-heartedly. “Just a bad dream.”</p><p>“Alright, then...if you’re sure. I’ll bring you something special for dessert tonight. Maybe one of those giant cookies you like,” Mrs. Hockhauser said.</p><p>Lou gave her mom a small smile and a slight nod. As the door closed behind Mrs. Hockhauser, Lou sighed and threw herself back against the pillows. Her phone buzzed from her alarm. She slapped her hand across the bed to grab the phone and hit snooze. </p><p>She stared up at the ceiling and said, “Falling? Why did I answer the phone? He’s gonna think I’m crazier than a goat grillin’ grits.”<br/>________________________________________<br/> <br/>“Wow, you really do have a shrine to yourself.”</p><p>Nina’s voice startled Ravi awake. He yelped and tumbled off the bed, tangling his feet in his blanket.</p><p>Luke walked into Ravi’s bedroom and laughed at his brother sprawled on the floor. Nina chuckled and turned back to the shelf where all of Ravi’s academic awards, ribbons, and plaques were displayed. She picked up a trophy and admired it while Luke casually put his arm around her shoulder.</p><p>“I remember this science fair. I made a baking soda volcano,” Nina smiled as she placed the trophy back on the shelf.</p><p>“Classic,” Luke said as he pulled her in for a hug.</p><p>Nina made a girlish noise as she wrapped her arms around her boyfriend. </p><p>“Why are you in my room?” Ravi shouted from his place on the ground. He had sat up and was pointing at the door. “Get out!”</p><p>“Wow, someone’s grouchy that they slept through their alarm,” Luke said with a smirk. </p><p>Ravi scrambled up from the floor, kicking away the blanket. He grabbed the dinosaur-shaped clock from his bedside table and gasped at the time, “No!” </p><p>It was twenty minutes past his normal wake up time. He tossed the clock back onto the table and sat on his bed with a sigh. After he had called Lou, he spent the rest of the night staring up at the ceiling and thinking over every detail about her. The color of her eyes. The way she smiled. The sound of her voice. He was so sure that he’d never sleep again, but at some point, that theory had been disproved because he had slept through his alarm. </p><p>“Hey, Nina’s taking me to school today,” Luke said as he walked her to the door.</p><p>Nina stopped at the door. “Wait, babe. Now I remember why I came in here,” she said. She turned to speak to Ravi. “Tanya said you were hanging out with Lou.”</p><p>At the mention of his new favorite person’s name, he smiled and dreamily said, “Yeah.”</p><p>Nina held tight to Luke’s hand and said, “Because you’re Luke’s brother, I just want to tell you to...be careful…”</p><p>Luke raised an eyebrow and snorted, “Careful? With Lou? She’s like the nicest person I know.”</p><p>“Yeah!” Ravi quickly agreed.</p><p>Nina rolled her eyes. “Look, all I’m saying is that she dated Eric for a really, really long time. And I heard Dante’s already trying to get with her. She has a…” She gave Ravi a sympathetic look as she said, “...type.”</p><p>Ravi felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head. His shoulders sagged as he frowned. He said in a quiet voice, “And let me guess. You don’t think I’m her type.”</p><p>Nina gave both brothers a worried look as she said in a rush, “I’m not trying to be mean or anything. I just like you, Ravi. And I don’t want your brother to be crushed, Luke.”</p><p>“It’s okay, babe,” Luke said with a smile. He kissed her forehead and added, “No one’s gonna get crushed. Besides, this is just a rebound.”</p><p>Ravi’s heart sank as he looked over at his brother. He asked, “Rebound?”</p><p>Luke shrugged. “Yeah. I mean, your ex-girlfriend is hooking up with her ex-boyfriend right before Valentine’s Day. You’re both into Valentine’s Day. So, you’re just kind of, I don’t know, going along. Well, catch you later, bro!”</p><p>Ravi watched the two of them disappear into the hallway. He sat in silence as sadness wrapped around him like a blanket. He wanted to crawl back up to his pillows and wait for the day to be over before it had even begun. But he never missed school unless he was sick and there was supposed to be a quiz in his environmental science class that he couldn’t miss. </p><p>“Not her type,” he murmured as he stood up to get ready. “Rebound…”</p><p>He lumbered over to the bathroom and picked up his toothbrush. He frowned at his reflection in the mirror. He hadn’t thought too much about not being Lou’s type. But now that he looked in the mirror, he couldn’t help but feel a little insecure. Eric was tall and had a charming smile and athletic build. And Ravi had seen Dante Ramirez plenty of times at the community pool. The guy was chiseled like a marble statue and had eyes that anyone could drown in. Standing next to either of them would make him look scrawny in comparison. If those were the kind of guys that Lou attracted, and he wasn’t that type of guy, then was he really just someone to pass time with to her?</p><p>The question lingered in his mind as he continued to get ready. He had to hurry so that he wouldn’t be late. But by the time he got to school, he was rushing from the parking lot so he wouldn’t miss the late bell. He was going to deal with the burden of a heavy backpack again so he could wave at Lou instead of going to his locker, but when he was halfway to Mr. Elba’s classroom, his phone buzzed. He glanced at the text message from Lou and froze in his tracks. His heart beat slowly as he read over her message:</p><p>
  <em> Sry abt last night. Crazy talk when sleepy! Nvm abt falling. Friends? </em>
</p><p>His eyes stung, so he tilted his head back and took a deep breath. He turned on the heels of his sneakers and quickly walked to class, not even feeling the weight of his backpack in comparison to the weight in his heart.</p><p>________________________________________<br/> <br/>Mr. Elba’s classroom was filled with student chatter. Their teacher didn’t mind the noise or shuffling of seats and desk in the morning, because as soon as the late bell rang, he knew their fun was over. So, just like every weekday morning, Xander was in a group of popular kids laughing about nothing in particular. Lou normally chatted and laughed along with the group, but today she sat silently at her desk. Her best friend noticed and broke away from the group to sit beside her.</p><p>“You hardly said a word in the car this morning,” Xander said quietly. His eyes searched her face for any signs that something was wrong. But her expression was neutral.</p><p>“I’m fine,” Lou said in monotone. She didn’t feel like pretending to be cheerful. </p><p>Xander folded his lips and stared at her. He thought for a moment before he nodded his head and said, “Okay. If you’re fine, then you wouldn’t mind telling me what a cow’s favorite ice cream is?”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Moo-se tracks,” Xander smirked with a twinkle in his eye.</p><p>Lou gave him a blank look. She didn’t have the energy to smile because her brain was using all of her energy to replay how stupid she had sounded on the phone.</p><p>“Ha!” Xander exclaimed as he slapped his hand on her desk. He pointed his finger at her and said, “I knew it! Lou, you love cow-based humor. And you didn’t even laugh! Now, spill. What’s wrong.” </p><p>She really didn’t want to talk about her nightmare. First of all, she didn’t want him to get the wrong idea and think she still had feelings for Eric because he was in her dream. And second of all, she was embarrassed that she was falling so quickly for someone she had just started spending time with. Falling! After five days of knowing the guy.</p><p>“I don’t want to talk about it, Xander. Just drop it,” she said harshly. She folded her arms and slouched in her chair. She tried hard not to look over at her best friend because she knew he was giving her the look. The look that made her spill her guts no matter how hard she tried not to.</p><p>“Look at me,” Xander said in a sing-songy voice.</p><p>“No,” she huffed.</p><p>“You leave me no choice,” Xander sighed good-naturedly as he moved to sit at the desk in front of her. He turned to face her and leaned over her desk so that she had no choice but to look at him. And then he gave her the look.</p><p>“Fine,” Lou grumbled as she leaned forward to talk quietly, so their classmates wouldn’t hear. “I had a dream about Ravi. And it wasn’t a happy dream. It was a sad dream. And I said something to him last night…”</p><p>“In your dream?”</p><p>“No, I said something to him last night on the phone when he called me. And it probably freaked him out. And I wish I hadn’t said it cause...it was stupid.”</p><p>Xander folded his arms on her desk and asked, “Did he say it was stupid?”</p><p>Lou frowned as she tapped her pencil against the desk. She said, “No...I don’t know. I kinda fell asleep. But the point is that I know it was stupid. I mean, I can’t be falling for a guy I met less than a week ago.”</p><p>“Why not?” Xander asked seriously. “Don’t you like all that true love and love at first sight stuff? I thought you’d be excited that it was actually happening to you.”</p><p>Lou’s nightmare flashed through her mind. The disgusted look on Ravi’s face as he held the bag of frogs was seared into her brain. Maybe she was kidding herself, making up all those moments between them to be something more than they were. He was a nice person after all. Maybe he had just hung out with her those last few days because he had felt bad that her ex-boyfriend cheated on her. Maybe he was just lonely because Hazel didn’t want to date him anymore. But he had said that he had missed her. And that she gave him butterflies. </p><p>“That’s just books and movies, Xander,” she said half-heartedly, not entirely believing what she was saying but not entirely confident that she wasn’t right.</p><p>He leaned away and shrugged. He stood up and patted her on the shoulder, “If you’re not feeling it, then you should let him know. But don’t beat yourself up about it, Lou. At least you can be friends.” Before he walked away to rejoin the popular group, he added, “And hey, those books and movies have to be based on something, right?”</p><p>Normally heart to hearts with Xander made her feel better, but that time it didn’t help. She still felt terrible and embarrassed. But one thing he said did stick out to her: friends. She did like spending time with Ravi. And even though it confused her, she had to admit that she was unmistakably drawn to him. But that didn’t mean he was going to be her new boyfriend. </p><p>She took her phone out of her pocket. If he was freaked out about what she had said, she didn’t want to risk losing his friendship. So she typed a quick message and hoped it would cover her sleepy mistake:</p><p>
  <em> Sry abt last night. Crazy talk when sleepy! Nvm abt falling. Friends? </em>
</p><p>________________________________________<br/> <br/>Ravi had made it to class before the late bell, but he didn’t care as much as he would normally. He felt kind of dull like the color had been drained out of his day. He copied down some notes that Ms. Rivers reviewed from the PowerPoint and tried hard not to think about the message that Lou had sent him. His phone buzzed in his pocket. He glanced at his teacher to see if she was looking in his direction. She wasn’t, so he took out his phone to read the message. He had hoped it was Lou. It wasn’t. It was a message from Harold Thomas:</p><p>
  <em> Hey </em>
</p><p>Ravi sighed and looked over his shoulder to the middle of the classroom. Harold waved his phone slightly as he hunched over his desk. After turning back around, Ravi checked his phone again. Surprisingly, it was only a message from Harold and not a group text with Tyler. Ravi sent a reply:</p><p>
  <em> Hey Harold </em>
</p><p>While he waited for a reply, Ravi couldn’t help but reread Lou’s message. Had he really just been a rebound? But he thought she wanted butterflies and romantic dates and moments like he wanted. If not, couldn’t she have just gotten back together with her ex-boyfriend? He saw another message pop up from Harold:</p><p>
  <em> Tyler said you’re hooking up with Lou </em>
</p><p>Ravi barely had time to roll his eyes before another message from Harold came through.</p><p>
  <em> What’s it like...to kiss someone? </em>
</p><p>Ravi blinked. He glanced over his shoulder again and saw Harold shyly look down at his desk. Ravi sent a message back to his friend.</p><p>
  <em> You kissed Ashley in 8th grade</em>
</p><p>
  <em>...I lied </em>
</p><p>Shocked, Ravi looked over his shoulder again, but Harold wouldn’t look up. Ravi slouched in his seat slightly as he stared at the PowerPoint. How many times had Harold and Tyler made fun of him in middle school for never being kissed? And this entire time, one of them had been lying. Another message from Harold popped up:</p><p>
  <em> Don’t tell Tyler!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>You two made fun of me!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I didn’t want him to make fun of me!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Gee, thanks!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I’m sorry, Ravi...don’t tell him </em>
</p><p>Even though he was slightly ticked off at his friend, he would never embarrass Harold to get back at him. He understood what it was like to have people make fun of you. He wrote a few more notes down until another message from Harold popped up on his phone:</p><p>
  <em> Well…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Well what?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>You know… </em>
</p><p>Ravi did know what Harold was asking, but he couldn’t answer honestly. He had no idea what it was like to kiss someone. Sure, he had wanted to kiss the girls he had had crushes on in the past, but none of them were interested in being kissed by him. Hazel definitely didn’t express an interest. And Lou. He frowned at the thought of her and further slouched in his seat. He had been so caught up in everything else about her that he had hardly had time to entertain the thought of kissing her. Now that she wanted to be friends only, their chance of kissing was as unlikely as bottling moonlight.</p><p>
  <em> We aren’t hooking up, Harold</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But Tyler said</em>
</p><p>
  <em>We’re just friends </em>
</p><p>Ravi reread the last message he sent. He didn’t mind having friends. Friends were good to have. He just really didn’t want to be friends with someone he wanted to be his Valentine.</p><p>________________________________________<br/> <br/>Lou stood in the middle of the gymnasium with Jessica. They didn’t have to change into their gym uniforms today because of the field-day trip. All of the seniors in Coach Johnson’s class would be leaving on the bus after lunch to help with field day at the elementary school. </p><p>“Ooo, here comes Dante,” Jessica whispered as she fixed her hair and smoothed down her shirt.</p><p>“Hey,” Dante said, making his voice deeper than usual as he put his hands in his pockets. “So, Lou, you want to be partners for field day?” </p><p>Lou linked her arm with Jessica’s arm and said, “No can do. I’m already teamed up with Jess.” She smiled smugly and tried to walk away but Jessica kept them in place.</p><p>“But there’s an odd number of seniors, so I’m sure Coach Johnson wouldn’t mind if we all work together,” Jessica said through her teeth at Lou. She turned her attention back to Dante and fluttered her eyelashes. “Right, Dante?”</p><p>“Right,” he drawled. He smoothly linked his arm with Lou’s and grinned at her. “So, did you ever make plans for Friday?”</p><p>Lou could feel heat radiating off of Jessica and Dante wasn’t even grinning at her. She wished he wanted her friend instead of her because Jessica didn’t care that he wasn’t looking for an actual girlfriend. His gaze was still on her and she realized she hadn’t answered his question yet.</p><p>“Um, yeah,” she said. Then in an unsure tone she added, “Maybe?”</p><p>Dante raised his eyebrow and repeated, “Maybe?”</p><p>“Plans with a friend,” Lou said with more confidence in her voice. It was false confidence. She had no idea if Ravi wanted to hang out with her on Friday. She just hoped that he did.</p><p>He leaned over and said in what she was sure he thought was a sultry tone, “We could be friends.”</p><p>“I heard your brother had a fart that lasted a full minute. Does that run in the family, Dante?” Lou asked sarcastically.</p><p>She watched the confident look on his face fade as Jessica tried and failed to hold back a chuckle. Lou batted her lashes innocently at him as she waited for an answer.</p><p>“I, uh...no. Jorge eats a lot of fiber,” he stammered. He unlinked his arm with Lou’s and cleared his throat. “See you at lunch?”</p><p>“As long as you don’t have any fiber,” Lou teased with a smirk. Jessica laughed freely.</p><p>Lunch was split into two periods, one earlier in the day and one in the afternoon. Lou was normally in the second lunch period with Xander, but because of the field-day trip, all of the seniors from Coach Johnson’s gym class were in first lunch around 11 a.m. today. </p><p>Nervously, Lou walked out of the kitchen with her tray. She knew Ravi had first period lunch and she both really wanted to see him and never wanted to see him at the same time. He never responded to her text, so she wasn’t sure if he thought she was still a weirdo for what she had said on the phone last night about falling for him. What if he didn’t believe her? What if he could tell she was into him and that made him not want to be her friend? She didn’t want that. She really liked spending time with him. </p><p>“Oh, look!” Jessica said as she nudged Lou with her elbow while balancing her tray. “Dante’s already at the table with Eric. Ooo, and Jamie. I look cute, right?” </p><p>Lou nodded absentmindedly as she scanned the table. Right in the middle of the group sat Ravi, chuckling at something that Hazel had leaned over and said. She felt jealousy bubble up inside of her, but she quickly pushed it down, reminding herself that he could be friends with other people.</p><p>“Hurry up, Lou,” Jessica said, interrupting Lou’s thoughts. “You can stare at your boyfriend when we get there.”</p><p>“I’m not staring,” Lou said in a whispered rush. “And don’t say anything...weird when we’re over there.”</p><p>Jessica shrugged. Lou followed her to the table and sat directly across from Ravi. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest as she smiled at everyone but him. He was seated between Nina Montez and Hazel. Eric sat on the other side of Hazel.</p><p>“Hey, ex-babe,” Eric greeted her before tossing a grape tomato in the air and then catching it in his mouth.</p><p>“Don’t call her that!” Hazel shouted as she swiped Eric’s bottle of orange juice. “You’re so rude.” She took a drink and then smacked her lips saying, “Sup, Lou-ser.”</p><p>“Hey, Crazel,” Lou said flatly.</p><p>Nina chuckled at the two girls. Ravi himself felt like hiding under the table or disappearing altogether. He had no idea Lou would be there until Dante showed up and told Eric about the field-day trip. He had considered leaving early and finishing his lunch in the hallway, but Nina had distracted him with a question about her homework. He felt an ache in his heart as Lou smiled at everyone but him. She wouldn’t even look in his direction. He wondered if he had come on too strong. Did she think he was a creep for calling her in the middle of the night? </p><p>“This table’s like a freakin’ reality show,” Jessica said as she tapped on her phone. “We’ve got Eric and Lou’s off and on again relationship…”</p><p>“It’s off permanently,” Lou muttered as she removed the lid from her fruit cup.</p><p>Jessica continued, “...Hazel who has dated Jamie, Ravi, and Eric…”</p><p>“You dated my girl!” Eric huffed at the baseball player who had danced on the table the other afternoon at lunch, Jamie. </p><p>Jamie shrugged and went back to tossing a foam football across the table to the guy from student council. The junior girl from homecoming court intercepted the ball, catching it between her sparkly nails, and chuckled.</p><p>“I’m not your girl! I’m Xander’s girl,” Hazel argued as she brushed her pigtails.</p><p>“Let’s not forget that Hazel’s also completely bonkers,” Jessica continued. She ignored a glare from Hazel. “Then we’ve got the fact that Eric cheated on Lou the week of Valentine’s Day. Nina Montez is for sure going to get her heart broken by Ravi’s brother…”</p><p>“Luke’s a good guy,” Nina said, rolling her eyes as she sent a kissy face text message to her boyfriend.</p><p>“To be fair, I keep forgetting Valentine’s Day is coming up,” Eric said as he gently took the brush from Hazel. He brushed her pigtails as she chugged the rest of his orange juice.</p><p>Dante picked up his chair and wedged it between Lou’s and Jessica’s. He gave Jessica a slight nod and then turned his attention to Lou. He grinned at her, “Valentine’s is Saturday, right? Maybe you won’t be busy with your friend then. And we could hang out?”</p><p>Ravi couldn’t help but openly stare at Dante. Sure Nina had said that Dante had his sights set on Lou, but it was different witnessing it. Dante oozed confidence and allure the way that his little brother Jorge emitted farts and giggles whenever Ravi saw him with Tiffany. Ravi didn’t like seeing Tyler flirt with Lou, but he hated seeing Dante flirt with her. It reminded him how he had no game and that was probably why Lou only wanted to be friends. </p><p>“You might want to cool it,” Jessica started but she was distracted when Dante looked over at her with his alluring eyes. She gulped, “If cooling is even possible for you...Gosh, you’re so…”</p><p>“Do I need to dunk you in a lake?” Lou said to her friend with her eyebrows raised. “Calm down, gal.”</p><p>“Sorry,” Jessica said, clearing her throat. “Like I was saying, Dante. The most fascinating part of our group here is these two,” she said pointing from Lou to Ravi. </p><p>Lou busied herself with drinking from her water bottle, hoping to ignore whatever stupid thing Jessica was about to say. Ravi chanced a glance at Lou before quickly looking down at the celery sticks on his lunch tray.</p><p>“Ravi has been teaching Lou French,” Jessica said, making air quotes and wiggling her eyebrows.</p><p>Lou spit out her water. She hadn’t expected that to be what Jessica chose to say. Water dribbled down her chin and out her nose. She looked horrified. Her face felt like it was on fire.</p><p>“Ew, Lou! You got your snot water over here,” Hazel whined as she used the hem of Eric’s shirt to wipe her face.</p><p>Nina laughed loudly as she used a napkin to wipe away some of the water that had sprayed her. She offered Ravi a napkin, but he was too stunned to accept it. He finally settled his gaze on Lou, and even though she still wouldn’t look at him, his stomach filled with those troublesome butterflies.</p><p>Dante looked from Ravi to Lou. He nodded in understanding and said, “Okay. Cool.” He draped his arm around Jessica’s shoulder and grinned, “What are you doing Friday?” He shrugged, “Or Saturday?”</p><p>“I’m free both days,” Jessica said in a rush as she leaned into his chest and stared up at him with wide eyes. </p><p>Even though her cheeks and nose burned, Lou couldn’t help but sigh in relief that Dante was no longer interested in her. She was sure that he and Jessica would be very happy together for about a week and a half. Lou looked over to Ravi. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes met his. Again, it felt like the world had stopped spinning and that they were the only two people on it. She felt butterflies and fireworks and every other cliche that could be felt.</p><p>“Whoa,” Nina said as she waved her hand in front of Ravi’s face. She chuckled as she looked from Ravi to Lou. “That’s a pretty intense stare you got going there. Guess I was wrong this morning.”</p><p>Lou blinked as she focused her attention on Nina. She asked, “Wrong about what this morning?”</p><p>“Nothing,” Ravi said quickly. Not wanting to recall his insecurities at a table full of upperclassmen.</p><p>Nina didn’t say anything else because it was obvious that Ravi didn’t want her to. She just hunched her shoulders at Lou and smiled before tapping away at her phone. Hazel stole the foam football from Jamie and stabbed it with her fork, causing Eric to laugh. Random conversations and arguments started up at the table, but Ravi and Lou remained silent. They quickly ate their lunches and left as soon as possible.</p><p>The problem with that plan, though, was that they finished eating at the same time and both ended up walking down an empty hallway as far apart from each other as possible, each hoping to hide out at their locker until the bell. They got to Ravi’s locker first. He heard her keep walking, but he couldn’t stop himself from speaking.</p><p>“Jessica’s quite the jester,” Ravi said awkwardly as he held tightly to his locker door. </p><p>Lou slowly turned around, fidgeting with the shoulder strap of her bag. She forced a laugh and said, “Yeah...she is.” She took a few steps toward him. “And just so you know, I didn’t tell Jess...that. I mean, Tanya said me and you were kissing. But I told her we weren’t! So, yeah.”</p><p>“Psh, totally,” Ravi said. “Why would we be kissing? We’re just friends.” He shut his locker and subconsciously stepped closer to her. </p><p>“Exactly! Psh. I mean, yeah,” she drawled as she moved to stand in front of him. “We’re friends.” Her voice lowered and her gaze flickered to his lips, “And I one hundred percent don’t want to kiss you.” </p><p>She took another small step forward, so that if she leaned in, there’d be nothing to stop her from kissing him except for him telling her not to.</p><p>“That’s a pretty high percentage,” he said above a whisper to lighten the mood. It didn’t lighten it. If anything, the draw between them was stronger.</p><p>But there was no time for leaning in because the bell rang loudly, signaling the end of lunch. Within seconds, students were in the hallway, breaking the silence and solitude of the moment. </p><p>“Gotta go,” Lou said in one breath before rushing away, hiding in the crowd.</p><p>Ravi stood frozen, at a loss to what had just happened. </p><p>________________________________________<br/> <br/>Lou put all of her energy into everything that wasn’t Ravi related. She volunteered to do the student count for the bus ride to the elementary school. She was the first to help set up the field with different stations for outdoor games and competitions. She even carried boxes and chairs to the first aid tent. The weather outside was just warm enough to have the activities outdoors. Not long after the high school students and gym teachers set up the field, the elementary students rushed out of the building. Lou, Dante, and Jessica decided to lead a group of fifth graders in a game of kickball. Between the work and excitement, Lou was sure she’d be able to keep Ravi off her mind.</p><p>“Hey, Tiffany says you know my best pal Ravi,” Jorge said as he stood with Lou where the kids were waiting their turns to kick.</p><p>Lou felt her face heat up at the mention of his name. She shifted her gaze to Dante, who was the pitcher, as he rolled the ball to the little girl wearing earmuffs to kick it. She asked, “Isn’t your big brother your best pal?” to change the subject.</p><p>Jorge snorted as he pointed his thumb at his brother. “That guy? No way! Dante’s so lame! He picks his nose!”</p><p>Tiffany rolled her eyes as she tied her shoelaces and said, “You pick your nose, Jorge.”</p><p>“Yeah, but I look smokin’ hot doing it,” Jorge said with confidence as he adjusted his glasses. He giggled at his own joke and then stretched his arms in the air. “I’ve gotta limber up. I’m gonna kick that ball so far! Then you’ll be super impressed, Tiffany.”</p><p>“Doubt it,” Tiffany said flatly before running over to the colorful cone to take her turn kicking.</p><p>Jorge shrugged as he continued stretching and happily humming to himself. He asked Lou, “Did you know Dante practices talking to girls in the mirror?” He continued in a mocking tone, “He’s all like ‘Yo, you want to see my muscles, girl?’” </p><p>Lou chuckled. She had heard Jorge tease his brother before when she babysat the younger Ramirez, but it was always funny to realize that the Dante at school wasn’t the Dante at home with Jorge. She was glad that Jessica was helping the kids run the bases instead of over here with the kickers.</p><p>“Be nice to your brother,” Lou said with a smile. “You’re gonna want him to use those muscles to win tug of war for your team.”</p><p>They both cheered for Tiffany as she successfully kicked the ball after her second try. She sprinted toward first base, a purple cone, and made it there in time. Her kick allowed for Griff, who was on third base, to run to home base, a yellow cone. His teammates cheered and gave him high fives as he made his way over to Jorge and Lou.</p><p>“Did you see that Lou?” Griff asked excitedly.</p><p>“Sure did! Awesome job, Griff!” She chuckled as she gave him a high five.</p><p>“What are you guys talking about?” Griff asked as tucked his hands into the pockets of his jacket.</p><p>Lou was about to answer, but Jorge interrupted her.</p><p>“Ravi,” Jorge said gleefully.</p><p>That was not the answer that Lou was going to give. In fact, she had hoped that Jorge had forgotten about the guy he had first mentioned in favor of making jokes about his big brother. Obviously, he hadn’t.</p><p>“He’s pretty okay,” Griff shrugged. “He and Lou were holding hands at the ice rink.” He asked innocently, “Is he your boyfriend?”</p><p>“No!” Lou gasped. She felt her heartbeat quicken and the memory of their moment in the hallway when she was seconds away from kissing him flashed in her mind. “We’ve only known each other for a few days!”</p><p>“So,” Griff said in a bored tone. “I’ve only known Zuri for like...I don’t know. And she’s my girlfriend.”</p><p>Jorge turned to Griff and asked, “Well, how many times have you hung out with her?”</p><p>Griff thought for a second and then counted on his hand, “Um, I saw her when I was playing video games with Xander and Luke once. Uh, and then I talked to her one time when I was waiting for Xander. Oh, I follow her on Instagram! And then we went skating yesterday.”</p><p>“Cool! That’s like four things,” Jorge smiled. He looked over at Lou and asked, “Do you have four things for Ravi?”</p><p>Lou shook her head and said, “You guys are young. That’s not how things work with older kids.”<br/>Dante shouted from his place by the pitcher’s red cone, “Jorge, show um’ what you got!”</p><p>“That’s me!” Jorge shouted brightly before running off for his turn to kick.</p><p>Like Tiffany, Jorge kicked the ball on his second try. There were a few shocked sounds from his peers as he actually kicked the ball far across the field. Dante yelped and jumped in the air as he cheered his little brother on. </p><p>“Whoa! I can’t believe he can actually kick,” Griff said in disbelief. “He must’ve been practicing for field day.”</p><p>“I guess sometimes people can surprise you,” Lou said, shocked by Jorge’s kick as well. She shouted, “Go, Jorge! Woo!”</p><p>As the game continued, Lou thought about how easy it was for the fifth graders to express their feelings. Griff and Zuri had known each other for basically less than two minutes, but they knew they liked each other and they were willing to be honest about it. Griff had even been honest with Tiffany about not liking her as more than a friend. And none of them were weird about it at the ice rink. She looked up to see Tiffany strike out, missing her third attempt at kicking the ball. Tiffany frowned as she slowly walked back to wait for another turn, but quickly cheered up when Griff gave her a hug and high five.</p><p>“Did you know Tiffany and me taught Ravi how to swim?” Jorge chatted. “Yeah, last summer at the community pool. And now, he doesn’t even need floaties anymore.”</p><p>“You’re going to embarrass him,” Tiffany said as she walked up to Lou and Jorge, overhearing his chatter. “Don’t listen to Jorge, Lou. Ravi can be cool. He makes up really fun games to make homework more interesting and he always lets me pick the movies we watch. Tyler is a jerk and never lets me pick.”</p><p>Lou had wanted to avoid the topic of Ravi Ross. But now it was too tempting not to find out more about the guy she was falling fast for. She figured that maybe learning more about him from the kids would help her put things in perspective. So, after the kickball game, Lou made sure to stand between Jorge and Tiffany for the hula hoop chain. </p><p>“So, you said you watch movies with Ravi? What kinds of movies does he like?” Lou asked as she stepped through the hula hoop and passed it carefully to Tiffany without breaking the chain created by linking their arms.</p><p>“Um, I usually pick. But I know he likes scary movies,” Tiffany answered as she stepped through the hula hoop. “Oh, and romances. He always cries. Even if it’s a happy one.”</p><p>“What! Really!” Jorge laughed. “Wimp!”</p><p>Lou chuckled. Normally she avoided wimpy guys, but she cried over mushy movies, too. And so did her best friend, Xander. And Tiffany’s answer only proved that Ravi really was into romance as much as she was.</p><p>“Did you know he had a komodo dragon?” Jorge asked in an excited tone as he clumsily stepped through another hula hoop and passed it to Lou. “I saw him walk it one time with that scary girl.”</p><p>Lou instantly knew who the ‘scary girl’ was. She remembered how Ravi was laughing at something Hazel had said during lunch and she felt an annoying pang of jealousy. </p><p>“Who? Hazel?” Tiffany asked. She scrunched her nose. “I’m glad he was skating with you yesterday and not her. She gives me the creeps.”</p><p>Lou passed the hula hoop over her arm and asked in as casual a tone as she could muster, “Did Ravi ever say, you know, anything to you about...me...yesterday?”</p><p>“Um, Zuri asked if you were his girlfriend. He got all weird and then told us to do our homework,” Tiffany answered as she stepped through the hoop.</p><p>“I thought you said Ravi couldn’t be your boyfriend cause of time or something,” Jorge said as he wiggled his nose, not wanting to scratch it and risk breaking the chain.</p><p>Lou was about to answer, but Tiffany interrupted her.</p><p>“What do you mean time?” Tiffany asked.</p><p>“She said you have to know someone for like a hundred years for them to be your boyfriend,” Jorge said, exaggerating.</p><p>“That’s not what I said,” Lou spoke as Jorge stepped through another hula hoop.</p><p>“That’s stupid,” Tiffany said bluntly. “You just have to like someone and then if they like you back then they're your boyfriend. Duh.”</p><p>“I wish it was that simple,” Lou sighed as she rolled the hula hoop down her arm.<br/>“Sounds simple to me,” Jorge shrugged. </p><p>“Me too,” Tiffany said as she struggled to step through the hula hoop. “Yay, I did it! How many more of these hoops are there?”</p><p>“But what if you don’t like the same things? Or like the same places? Or people?” Lou couldn’t help but ask out loud. </p><p>“Who cares! As long as you like each other,” Tiffany said, rolling her eyes. “Aren’t you supposed to be the one that knows more about this stuff than us? It sounds like you don’t know anything about like liking someone.”</p><p>For the rest of field day, Lou dedicated a small space in her brain for Tiffany’s words to live: Who cares! As long as you like each other.</p><p>________________________________________</p><p> </p><p>Ravi drifted from one class to the next, not fully present in any of them. He had gone from not a single thought about kissing Lou to every free thought being dedicated to it. His heart spun in his chest at the musing of the mouth that formed the sweetest smile being pressed against his own for an even sweeter kiss. Tanya had invited Ravi to sit with her and Lou’s other friends while Lou was away for field-day, but he declined and said he needed to study. Even though studying was a failed task at the moment. But as he sat alone in study hall, the worrisome thought wandered into his brain that maybe he had misunderstood that moment at his locker during lunch. She had just sent him a text that morning saying that she just wanted to be friends. That she wasn’t…</p><p>“Falling,” Ravi murmured as he leaned his chin against his palm and tapped his pencil against his environmental science textbook.</p><p>He was sure that he had already fallen. And how in the world was he supposed to be friends with her when she was gazing into his eyes at lunch or talking lowly in the empty hallway?</p><p>“Nerdo Baggins, sign this for me will ya,” Hazel said as she plopped down in the seat beside him.</p><p>Ravi hadn’t even noticed that Hazel had strolled into the library and spotted him at the table near the entrance. He looked down at the paper in front of him, but she covered most of it with one hand and tapped impatiently where he was supposed to sign with the other. Without bothering to inspect the paper further, he scribbled his signature.</p><p>“Thanks!” Hazel said brightly. She held up the paper and said, “I noticed your signature looks just like the yearbook teacher’s, so this should get me out of class for the rest of the day!”</p><p>“Hazel,” Ravi grasped, disapprovingly. He reached for the paper but she held it out of his reach. Now he understood why she was in study hall with him instead of her history class.</p><p>“Not uh, no take backs,” she grinned. “Don’t look all mad. I won’t do it again. And now I get to hang out with you!” She sprung forward and wrapped him in a bear hug.</p><p>He was still mad at her for tricking him, but he honestly felt a little better now that she was there. She hadn’t been the best almost-girlfriend, but he knew she would tell him the truth, most of the time. He gently patted her back before she released him.</p><p>“At least for the next,” she glanced at the time on her phone, “ten minutes. Then I’ve got to go swap the labels on some bottles in the janitor’s closet.”<br/>He considered intervening because whatever she was planning was probably bad, but he really wanted to talk about other things. So he let it go and asked, “Hazel, can I...ask you something?”</p><p>“Sure,” she said as she reached for his notebook. She took a pencil out of her hair and started doodling.</p><p>“Um...well...when we were dating. I noticed that there was something that we didn’t do that, um, you do a lot of with Eric…”</p><p>“Steal his car? Ravi, you just got your license,” Hazel replied without looking up from her drawing.</p><p>Ravi nervously drummed his fingers on the table and looked up at the ceiling. He stammered, “I meant kissing.”</p><p>Hazel paused and looked up at him. She giggled, “I told you I kept forgetting we were dating!”</p><p>He frowned as he looked at her and said flatly, “Gee, thanks.”</p><p>“Don’t get all huffy. And why do you care, lover boy? Aren’t you Lou’s new special friend.”</p><p>He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as he leaned away from her. “Never mind,” he muttered. </p><p>Hazel watched him for a moment before she gently put her hand on his shoulder and said honestly, “I didn’t want to be your first kiss. That’s why I never kissed you, Ravi.”</p><p>“Cause I’m not kissable?” He asked with a bit of hurt in his voice.</p><p>“No, it’s not that. You’re just...different. And I knew kissing would mean something to you. When I’m with Eric, we’re just having fun.” Hazel linked her arm with his and added, “Look, you’re important to me now. If you really, really want to, we can go make out in the janitor’s closet.”</p><p>Ravi’s eyes widened but he didn’t say anything.</p><p>Hazel smirked and shrugged, “And it’ll probably be fun. But if you want your first kiss to be special, like I know you do, you’ll wait until Lou stops being a chicken and kisses you.”</p><p>“How do you know I want to kiss Lou?” he stammered as his face heated.</p><p>Hazel let go of his arm and snorted, “Please! You two have been making heart eyes at each other since Saturday. Remember, I was there when you climbed out the back of her truck wearing her hoodie. Which by the way, stupid, is when the two of you were supposed to be kissing.”</p><p>“But she and I are just friends. She only wants to be friends,” Ravi said, trying to keep the sprout of hope in his heart from blooming. </p><p>“What? No, you’re dating,” Hazel said nonchalantly. “I bet you already have something nauseatingly romantic planned for Valentine’s Day.” She hopped up from her seat and said, “See ya!” before skipping out of the library.</p><p>Valentine’s Day. He had finally found an amazing girl that willingly spent time with him and he wasn’t even sure if she wanted to be his Valentine.</p><p>________________________________________</p><p> <br/>By the time the bus returned to the high school, there were only a few minutes left before the final bell. Lou had remembered where Ravi’s locker was but he didn’t show up to it after school ended. She tried to search for him in the parking lot, but his car wasn’t there and neither was Luke’s. </p><p>“I guess Ravi left early,” Lou frowned as she sat in the driver’s seat of her truck.</p><p>“For someone that just wants to be friends, you look pretty crushed that he’s gone for the day. I mean, you’ll see him tomorrow,” Xander said with a knowing smirk.</p><p>Lou narrowed her eyes at him and he put his hands up in defense.</p><p>“Wait, what do you mean she wants to be friends?” Jessica asked from the backseat of the truck. She leaned forward to relax her shoulder against the back of the passenger’s side seat. “What happened between you and baby Ross? Yesterday in gym you were ready to marry him.”</p><p>“Was not! You take that back,” Lou said in a bossy tone. She huffed, “Shouldn’t you be with Dante, anyway?”</p><p>“I wish,” Jessica replied as she scooted back. “Me and Xander have to work on a stupid project at his house for class.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Xander nodded. “But the sooner you drop us off at my place, the sooner you can go find your...just friend.”</p><p>“You two can both walk home,” Lou said as she backed her truck out of the parking lot.</p><p>“But then we won’t be able to ask Xander questions about the future Mr. Ravi Hockhauser,” Jessica teased.</p><p>Xander covered his mouth so Lou wouldn’t see him chuckle. He took a deep breath to get rid of his laughter and then said, “Be nice, Jess. Lou’s having a tough time with her feelings right now. But relax, Lou. You’re overthinking it. There’s no weird timeline you have to follow. If you like him, you like him. If you don’t. You don’t. But your friends are here for you.”</p><p>“Yeah, Lou. I’m just kidding,” Jessica said. “Do whatever makes you happy. Unless it’s dating Eric. Don’t do that again.”</p><p>Lou couldn’t help but think how similar Xander’s words were to Tiffany’s: Who cares! As long as you like each other. If you like him, you like him.<br/>After she dropped off Xander and Jessica, Lou absentmindedly drove to the Ross house. She had only dropped Ravi off there once, but it was easy to remember the location because the coffee shop not far from his house had the best hot chocolate. She sat in her truck parked on the side of the road and nervously stared out the window. She wasn’t sure what excuse she would use for showing up at his house for no reason, but that didn’t stop her from getting out the truck and walking up to the door. She took a deep breath as her fist hovered in front of the large door. She reminded herself that he had written a note in French before that said he had missed her. Maybe he missed her today. She hoped he did. She knocked on the door.</p><p>“Hi!” </p><p>“Uh, howdy!”</p><p>Lou recognized the girl at the door as Ravi’s older sister, Emma. After Lou had mentioned her to Tanya the other day, her friend showed her pictures on Emma’s Instagram.</p><p>Emma smiled and introduced herself, “I’m Emma. Are you the Postmates driver?” She glanced around for delivery bags. </p><p>“No, she’s not the Postmates driver,” Zuri said as she walked up to her sister. “That’s Lou. Ravi’s girlfriend.”</p><p>“Oh!” Emma leaned over to Zuri and whisper-shouted, “Is she the crazy one?”</p><p>“That was Hazel. This is his new girlfriend,” Zuri explained. </p><p>“She’s cute,” Emma nodded approvingly. “You’re cute, Lou!”</p><p>Zuri reached out and grabbed Lou’s wrist. “Come inside! There’s a new song I want you to hear. Ravi said you like country music.”</p><p>Lou was so confused by the situation that she let Zuri drag her into the house. The three of them listened to music in Zuri’s room, sitting comfortably on her frilly king-sized bedding. Lou mostly nodded her head in agreement to every opinion Zuri had about each song. Emma would occasionally make a comment but mostly scrolled through her phone and snacked on her Postmates order that eventually showed up.</p><p>“If you don’t mind me asking, where’s Ravi?” Lou finally asked, unable to keep her eyes from searching the room as if he would appear out of thin air just because she wanted him to.</p><p>“Mom always craves a certain flavor of potato chips whenever we get back to the states, so he went to pick her up some with Luke,” Emma explained. “We both decided to fly in earlier than next month.” She grinned and asked, “So, tell us about you and Ravi. How long have you been dating?”</p><p>Lou felt embarrassed by the question. She didn’t know Emma and Emma wasn’t a fifth grader, so would she be the person to call Lou out for being so into a guy after a few days?</p><p>“Uh...well…”</p><p>“Spit it out,” Zuri said impatiently as she munched on some sweet potato fries.</p><p>“Chill, Zuri,” Emma said, poking her little sister in the rib. She returned her kind eyes to Lou and said sweetly, “You don’t have to be embarrassed. We’ve both met Ravi.”</p><p>“Yeah, we know he’s pretty lame,” Zuri said with a nod.</p><p>Lou chuckled lightly and looked down at the frilly bedding. She picked at a thread as she admitted, “I just met him last Saturday.”</p><p>“Aww! A whirlwind romance! Totes romantic, Lou!” Emma cooed. She folded her hands beneath her chin. <em> “J’adore!” </em></p><p>“We should all hang out before Emma goes back to Paris,” Zuri said excitedly. “You’ll be a fifth wheel,” she said to her sister.</p><p>Emma gasped and pressed her hand to her chest. “No way! I’ve never been a fifth wheel. Why do you get to bring a date?”</p><p>“Cause I have a boyfriend! It’s not Lou’s and my fault that you’re a spinster and we have dates,” Zuri said, raising her shoulder slightly.</p><p>Emma looked to Lou with wide eyes, “Tell me you’ve got a friend for me. I can’t be a fifth wheel on a date with my younger siblings.”</p><p>Lou couldn’t help but be shocked by how lightly the Ross sisters were taking her situation with their brother. Did it really not matter that things were moving so quickly? She realized Emma was still looking at her expectantly, so she said, “Um, you might like my friend Xander.”</p><p>“Xander McCormick?” Emma said with awe in her voice. “I remember Xander.”</p><p>Lou recognized Emma’s tone. It was the same tone that Xander had used when she had mentioned Ravi’s older sister the other day. Lou nodded yes to Emma’s question.</p><p>“Then we so all have to hang out,” Emma said with a dreamy smile.</p><p>At that moment, Ravi and Luke walked into Zuri’s room with paper bags. Luke didn’t seem to notice anything different, but Ravi froze in the middle of the room. He smiled at Lou.</p><p>“Hi, Lou.”</p><p>“Hi, Ravi.”</p><p>“Aww! Do you hear the way they say hi to each other?” Emma cooed as she grinned at both of them. “You two are so cute!” She snatched the paper bag from Luke, who had flopped down on the bed. “Luke, what took so long? I had to order food like an hour ago.”</p><p>“How about a thank you?” Luke fussed.</p><p>Zuri tried to shove her brother off her bed. “Get your stinky butt off my bed, Luke! I know you haven’t showered in like a week.”</p><p>Lou stood up from the bed, avoiding the sibling drama. She saw Ravi wave for her to follow him out of the room after he sat the paper bag on Zuri’s desk. They walked out into the hallway and Ravi closed the door behind them.</p><p>“Sorry about...them,” Ravi said as he folded his arms behind his back.</p><p>“They’re funny,” Lou said as she fiddled with the hem of her jacket.</p><p>They stood there in silence, both of them not able to form the words for what they wanted to say. </p><p>Lou gave up and sighed. “So, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow at school.” </p><p>She turned to walk away, but he grabbed her hand. She felt her heartbeat quicken as she looked at him.</p><p>“I don’t want to be your friend,” Ravi said in a rush. “Tomorrow’s Friday. Do you have plans?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Valentine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Friday, the last day of the week and the day before Valentine’s Day. It wasn’t even 7:30 a.m. and they hadn’t even arrived at school yet, but Lou was anticipating the final bell. </p><p>“Someone’s wearing her fancy flannel today,” Xander commented from the passenger’s side. He nodded at the pink pattern of Lou’s shirt. “You look nice.”</p><p>“Thanks,” Lou replied with a smile as she turned the steering wheel, leaving Xander’s neighborhood and heading towards the high school. “I’m hanging out with Ravi after school.”</p><p>“I know. You text me like twenty times last night,” Xander said with an amiable laugh. </p><p>“Sorry, I’m just sort of excited. And nervous,” she replied honestly. “This will be the first time we’ve hung out and it wasn’t just something we had planned to do with Hazel or Eric. He was supposed to take Hazel to the beach and ice skating. I had planned the bonfire for Eric.”</p><p>“Don’t stress, Lou. You’ll be fine! And I’m sure you guys will have a great time,” Xander said. He slouched in his seat and tilted his head against the window. “Meanwhile, I’ve got to keep Hazel off my back.”</p><p>Lou furrowed her brow and asked, “I thought she had backed off now that she’s with Eric?”</p><p>“That’s what I thought, too! But Jamie and Nina told me that Hazel has started asking around if I have a Valentine this year. I was hoping she was so busy with Eric that she wouldn’t notice that I’m single again.”</p><p>“And if she knows you’re alone tomorrow, then Eric will definitely be alone tomorrow,” Lou replied. She knew Hazel had told Eric that her heart belonged to Xander, but Lou couldn’t help feeling a little bad for her ex-boyfriend. She felt worse for her best friend. “Don’t worry, bestie. If you need someone to cover for you, I’ve got your back.”</p><p>“Thanks.”</p><p>When they got to the school and hopped out of Lou’s truck, she couldn’t help but look around the parking lot for Ravi’s car. It had been a while since she had looked around the parking lot to make sure if anyone in particular had shown up to school that day. She smiled to herself. It had gotten to the point where the butterflies would show up without him even being there. </p><p>“He’s over there,” Xander said knowingly as he pointed toward the sidewalk leading to the entrance of the school.</p><p>“Shut up,” Lou murmured as her best friend chuckled.</p><p>Suddenly, a cascade of items fell from Ravi’s opened backpack and splattered onto the sidewalk. Lou and Xander hurried over to help him as he began collecting his belongings. </p><p>“Here you go,” Lou said sweetly as she handed him a notebook, calculator, and a handful of pencils. </p><p>Xander handed him a textbook that had several sticky notes poking out of it.</p><p>“Thanks! I can be such a klutz,” Ravi said as he placed everything back in his bag. “I suppose I forgot to secure my backpack this morning when I was rushing Luke out the door. I need as much time as possible to get to my locker and walk…” He looked at Lou with a small smile “...and walk you to class.”</p><p>Lou gave him a smile so bright that it could rival the sun. </p><p>“See, told ya you didn’t need to be nervous,” Xander chirped.</p><p>Lou glared at her best friend and hit him with the back of her hand. She said quickly to Ravi, “We better get you to your locker then,” before leaving both guys to walk toward the school. </p><p>Ravi wondered why Lou would be nervous. He was the one that could barely sleep at night because he couldn’t stop thinking about her. After she left his house yesterday, he wouldn’t stop talking about how great she was with his sister Emma. Zuri made fun of him and Luke tuned him out. </p><p>Ravi stopped in front of his locker and frowned. Another reason he couldn’t stop thinking about her last night was because of the bad news he knew he’d have to give her this morning. Last night, his parents had excitedly informed them that they’d be having family time at the country club tonight to celebrate Emma and Christina being home for the week. Luke had tried to argue that he had plans with Nina, but his parents quickly shut that down and made it clear that all the Ross children were expected to be home after school today.</p><p>“So, what do you want to do after school?” Lou asked in a bright tone. </p><p>“You two could come by the coffee shop about five. That’s when I’ll be starting my set,” Xander suggested as he leaned casually against the lockers.</p><p>“About that…” Ravi started as he slowly put a binder and textbook into his locker to avoid eye contact with Lou. “I can’t hang out tonight.”</p><p>“Oh,” Lou said as her shoulders dropped slightly. “That’s okay. Maybe another time then.”</p><p>Ravi hated hearing the disappointment in her voice, but it gave him the courage to look her in the eye. He reached out and held her hand. When his fingers interlocked with hers, he realized how much he had missed holding her hand even though they’d only done so a few times. He apologized, “I’m really sorry, Lou. I had no idea my parents had plans for me tonight. And I know how important this week was to you. I mean, it’s the last day before Valentine’s Day.”</p><p>She squeezed his hand and gave him a sweet smile, “It’s okay, Ravi. Really! But it’s nice to know that you care.”</p><p>Ravi grinned back at her and his eyes were bright. “You’re so sweet,” he sighed dreamily.</p><p>“No, you’re sweet,” she giggled.</p><p>“No...” Xander said, gazing past the two of them as he straightened his posture away from the lockers, “...that’s sweet.”</p><p>Lou and Ravi looked over their shoulders in the direction that Xander was gazing. Students had already begun crowding into the hallway before the first bell, but a group had split like the sea to allow for Emma Ross to saunter down the hallway. </p><p>“Whoa,” Xander drawled.</p><p>Ravi rolled his eyes and asked his sister when she approached him, “Emma, what are you doing here?”</p><p>“Um, how about a hello? Rude much,” Emma said. She smiled and waved. “Hi, Lou!”</p><p>“Mornin’, Emma,” Lou greeted her back. “Oh, this is my bestie, Xander. The one I was telling you about yesterday.”</p><p>Emma’s eyes widened as she finally noticed Xander, who hadn’t moved or spoken since she walked up. “Hi,” she said in a slightly breathless tone. “You got even hotter than last time. Oops! Did I say that out loud?”</p><p>“Hi, I’m Xander,” he practically shouted.<br/>Lou winced and used her free hand to hold her ear. She narrowed her eyes at her best friend and said sarcastically, “I don’t think they heard you in Antarctica.”</p><p>“Emma, why aren’t you home?” Ravi asked his sister. </p><p>“I’m gonna be bored today,” Emma said as she fiddled with the ends of her hair. “I don’t have to do my virtual classes until Monday and all you guys are at school. Can’t we go shopping or something?”</p><p>“No, Emma. It’s Friday and I have school. Obvi,” he said as he nervously looked around the hallway. He didn’t see any teachers nearby. He didn’t want Emma to get in trouble for being on campus without a visitor's pass. </p><p>Emma pouted, “But I already asked Luke to skip and he can’t because he already missed too many days. And my own sister wouldn’t even play sick because she wants to sell candy during recess.”</p><p>“She always says she makes the most money on Fridays,” Ravi responded automatically.</p><p>“And I know you haven’t missed any days, Mr. Goody Two Shoes,” Emma said. She fluttered her lashes at her brother, “So skip and hang out with your dearest sister.”</p><p>“Never,” Ravi gasped in disbelief that Emma would even suggest that he skip school.</p><p>Xander gently shut Ravi’s locker and stepped around Ravi and Lou so that he could stand beside Emma. He said brightly, “There’s a fair in town by the abandoned mall.”</p><p>Lou furrowed her brow at her best friend. “Um, what’s that got to do with anything?”</p><p>“Great!” Emma cheered. She linked her arm with Xander’s and admired his bicep. “Ooo! Let’s go!”</p><p>Ravi followed after the two of them. He was still holding Lou’s hand, so she walked quickly alongside him. “Emma, stop!” he called out. His sister and Xander paused and turned to face him. “You can’t just barge in here and expect Xander to skip school because you’re bored.”</p><p>“Wait, not just Xander, silly. You and Lou should come, too! We can double. Aww, your first double date, Ravi! I’m so honored. This was so worth coming home from Paris,” Emma said in one breath before turning on her heels and walking toward the entrance with Xander.</p><p>Ravi stared after his sister and Xander as they made their way through the crowd of students. He couldn’t believe how easy it was for his sister to just waltz into his high school and get a date within minutes. He was impressed and jealous all at the same time, but mostly jealous because he had just had to cancel his date with Lou because his parents wanted to celebrate Emma being back in town. He glanced at Lou and felt slightly embarrassed. Would she think he was lame for being a goody two shoes? She was a senior and popular, so she had probably skipped a few times.</p><p>“I can’t believe he’s ditching me! Now I’ve got to go be bored in Mr. Elba’s class by myself,” Lou said as she shook her head. </p><p>“You don’t want to join them?” Ravi asked, slightly surprised. </p><p>Lou’s eyes widened. “Are you going?” She looked in the direction Xander and Emma had gone and then shifted her look back to Ravi. “I’ve had perfect attendance since the third grade.”</p><p>He smiled to himself. So, he wasn’t the only goody two shoes. He felt a tug on his arm and realized that Emma and Xander had returned. His sister yanked his arm and dragged him out the door. Xander did the same with Lou. </p><p>“I hope you know this is Lounapping,” Lou huffed as she crossed her arms in the backseat of Ravi’s car. </p><p>“That’s cute,” Emma giggled as she put on her seatbelt in the driver’s seat. She adjusted the seat and mirrors.</p><p>“And you’re stealing my car!” Ravi fussed from the backseat. He frowned as he looked out the window to the parking lot. “What will my teachers think of me?”</p><p>“My perfect attendance record,” Lou frowned as she dramatically placed her hand on the window on her side.</p><p>Xander ignored the complaining behind him as he relaxed on the passenger’s side. He asked Emma, “Do you need directions to the mall?”</p><p>“I spent most of middle school and my allowance at that mall. I’ve got it,” Emma joked. She drove out of the parking lot. </p><p>________________________________________<br/> <br/>The winter fair seemed barren beneath the grey February sky when the four of them arrived. The Ferris wheel rotated without passengers. Unoccupied carts sped around a track that was lit up in primary colors. An empty pirate ship swung back and forth. </p><p>“This looks pitiful,” Lou said bluntly as she glanced around the fair. Her breath made wispy clouds in the chilly morning air.</p><p>“And it’s freezing,” Ravi added as he snuggled into his jacket.</p><p>Xander smiled and pointed toward the carousel. “Behind there is a massive heated tent with stuff,” he said. He offered Emma his arm, which she looped her own around. “Follow me.”</p><p>It was much livelier inside the large heated tent. Even though it looked like most of the people inside were people that worked for the fair. There were carnival games and food stands and in the middle there were tables and chairs for seating. </p><p>“Oh, look!” Emma said excitedly as she pointed at a test of strength game. “If you make that thingy hit the bell, you can win me a bear!”</p><p>Xander flexed his free arm and raised an eyebrow, “I can win you two bears.”</p><p>“Oh brother,” Lou muttered. Xander frowned at her and she added, “You know I love you. Go win your two bears.”</p><p>“Yay!” Emma cheered before hurrying off with Xander toward the booth.</p><p>Ravi glanced at his own arms and hoped Lou didn’t want a bear. He’d be willing to try, but he didn’t think it’d turn out in his favor. He looked over at her and saw her eyes searching the food stands.</p><p>“Is it wrong to want a funnel cake before 9 a.m.?” Lou asked as she gazed at a colorful booth advertising the treat.</p><p>“We’re already skipping school. Why not break more rules,” Ravi replied, relieved because buying her a funnel cake required no physical skill at all. </p><p>He held out his hand for her to hold and she gladly took it before walking over to the booth. They decided to get a jumbo covered in powdered sugar to share. Ravi had been sure that she’d want strawberries, because Harold was surprisingly right in his guess that Lou always smelled like strawberries, but she scrunched her nose at the suggestion of the topping and insisted that she liked fresh strawberries not canned red syrup. They settled at a table where Xander and Emma could easily find them if more people ever showed up.</p><p>“Hey...do you want to talk about yesterday?” Ravi asked as he broke apart some of the fried dough with a plastic fork. “We seemed sort of...off? I mean, we’ve been so in sync and then it seemed like we weren’t.”</p><p>Lou had hoped that he would just forget the weirdness of yesterday. She certainly wanted to. “Or...we could not talk about it,” Lou said as she broke apart her share of the funnel cake with her fingers and looked down at the table.</p><p>Ravi raised his eyebrows at her. “Seriously?” he asked in a tone that made her look up at him. He didn’t sound angry or upset, but he didn’t sound excited to ignore the subject either.</p><p>Lou pouted, “It’s embarrassing…” She waited a moment to give him a chance to tell her not to worry about explaining, but instead he looked at her with wide, expectant eyes. She sighed, “Fine. You win.” She fidgeted with a piece of fried dough before saying, “I had this dream about you where you thought I was an idiot for saying that I was falling for you...and then there was the whole me actually telling you that I was falling for you on the phone the other night...Which I’m sure made you think I’m loonier than a sack of cats.”</p><p>“That’s funny,” Ravi chuckled. Lou furrowed her brow at him, which made him stop. He cleared his throat and explained, “The saying is funny. Not your feelings, of course.” He smiled, “Why would I think you’re loony?”</p><p>“Cause it’s been like two minutes and I already miss you when you’re not around and I want to spend all my free time with you and…”</p><p>She was at a loss for words as he gazed at her like she was the moon or the stars. So many butterflies filled her that she was sure she’d flutter away. His gaze made her feel warm and happy and seen. </p><p>“Do they do that a lot?” Emma asked as she hugged her giant bear.</p><p>“Like every time I’m around them,” Xander replied beside her. </p><p>Ravi blinked and turned away at the sound of his sister’s and Xander’s voices. He felt his face heat with embarrassment, but it felt like his heart was beaming with joy. Emma shoved the giant bear into her brother’s arms.</p><p>“Can you watch Madam Cuddles while we play more games?” Emma asked her brother.</p><p>“Sure,” Ravi murmured, slightly annoyed at their interruption.</p><p>Lou watched her best friend and his date wander off to play more carnival games. Xander was smiling happily at Emma, who looked just as smitten. </p><p>“Sorry,” Ravi said as he placed the bear in the chair beside him. “You were saying?”</p><p>“I guess I got chicken when I realized how quickly I like you,” Lou answered honestly. “I was just trying to cover my crazy when I said I wanted to be friends. I…” She reached across the table to place her hand over his hand. “I don’t want to be just your friend.”</p><p>Ravi didn’t mind that she got powdered sugar on his hand as he turned his hand over to hold hers. He cheered, “Great!”</p><p>Lou chuckled. “The fact that we’ve only known each other a few days doesn’t bother you at all?”</p><p>“Are you kidding? My only concern is that you change your mind! You are sweet and kind. And you believe in love and romance even though we’re in high school and it seems like everyone around us couldn’t care less about those things. I think you’re special.” He smiled and added, “Besides, I’m no physicist and therefore have no interest in the pondering of what is time.”</p><p>Lou smiled as she blinked at him. “I feel like that was a joke, but I don’t get it.”</p><p>“It doesn’t matter to me if it’s been seven years or seven minutes or seven days. I just want to be with you,” he said honestly, shyly looking away. He hoped he hadn’t made her uncomfortable by offering the words of his heart so freely. “Uh, we better finish this funnel cake,” he said before shoveling a chunk into his mouth with his plastic fork to keep himself from saying anything else.</p><p>“It’s so good, right?” Lou said happily as she munched on the sugary dough. She hoped she seemed cool on the outside because inside she was swooning over everything he had just said.</p><p>By the time they finished the funnel cake, Emma had declared that it was warm enough to ride the Ferris wheel and encouraged the other three to join her. The chair lifts held two people each.</p><p>“If Madam Cuddles is her bear, why is it here with us,” Ravi said flatly as he glared at the giant prize bear that was stuffed between him and Lou, keeping him from holding her hand or snuggling his shoulder against hers. </p><p>“It’s for the best,” Lou said as she looked out at the view. “Xander is terrified of heights. He’s probably squeezing the heck out of your sister’s shoulders right now. Poor guy. If you listen carefully, you can hear the sounds of his terrified whimpering.”</p><p>Ravi’s ears perked up at the sound. He nodded and said, “Hmph. You can hear it.” He still wished the bear wasn’t in the way though.</p><p>“So, why’d you have to cancel our date today?” Lou asked as she watched a construction crew walk around the outside of the abandoned mall. </p><p>“I have to spend time with my family at the country club. It’s my parents’ idea of bonding. I love them, but it will end up the same way it always does. Luke showing off for girls on the tennis court. Emma and Zuri going to the spa without inviting me. Mom and Dad making heart eyes at each other over dinner. And me playing chess with some old guy that keeps offering me cigars.” </p><p>“Sounds interesting,” Lou chuckled. </p><p>“I’d much rather go on our date. But Luke already tried to get out of it and Mom made it clear that everyone was going or face grounding.” Ravi admired the lights on the fair rides below. They were actually bright during the day because of the grey sky. “I wanted to take you to the natural history museum. The other night you mentioned that you were a bird enthusiast and they have a special exhibit right now on the red-breasted nuthatch.”</p><p>Lou’s eyes brightened and she happily gasped, “That’s my favorite of the nuthatches!” She wished she could reach out and hold his hand, but the stupid bear was in the way. “That’s so sweet of you.”</p><p>“But since our date was cancelled tonight, and we were brought here against our wills, maybe our date should be right now at this fair,” Ravi suggested. He glanced at the giant bear and added, “I might not be able to win you a giant bear. But I’m decent at ring toss, so maybe I can get you a nice goldfish.” He thought for a second and remembered how he was occasionally uncoordinated. “Emphasis on maybe.”</p><p>“Or I can win you a giant bear and a goldfish,” Lou grinned. “I’m pretty good at carnival games. Whenever I’d go with Eric, though, he’d never give me a chance to play. He was always busy showing off or bringing a group of people on our date.”</p><p>“He tends to attract a crowd,” Ravi said, thinking about all the people at their lunch table at school. He smiled at her, “I’d be happy to be your cheerleader.”</p><p>Ravi was impressed by Lou’s carnival game skills. Not only did she win him a teddy bear that was taller than her and a goldfish that Mrs. Kipling surely would snack on, but she won him a tiny, stuffed unicorn, a balloon filled with confetti, and a necklace with a heart-shaped diamond made out of plastic. </p><p>“Show off,” Xander muttered, having only been able to win Emma the one teddy bear and a kazoo.</p><p>“Let’s get food. I’m starving,” Emma said to the group as they all stood in front of the bumper cars. “I didn’t do breakfast.”</p><p>“Cool, let’s grab a burger,” Xander said, pointing his thumb back toward the heated tent with the food stands. It had warmed up some more outside and more people were at the fair, mostly parents with kids too young for school and groups of elderly people.</p><p>“Ew, I don’t eat food from the fair,” Emma said as she scrunched her nose. “Everything in there is breaded, fried, and dipped in butter.”</p><p>“I know! Isn’t it great,” Lou smiled. She sniffed the air. It smelled like French fries and chocolate syrup. </p><p>Ravi smiled at his date. He wasn’t a huge fan of food from the fair either, but if Lou wanted a corn dog or cheese curds or whatever fried concoction being sold then he didn’t mind. He would make sure to eat something healthier for dinner.</p><p>“Well, there’s a vegan place on the boardwalk that’s pretty good,” Xander suggested.</p><p>“That sounds yummy,” Emma said brightly as she squeezed her giant teddy bear.</p><p>“The boardwalk? So, the beach? That’s an hour away,” Ravi said. He looked at his wrist where his balloon was tied and shuffled the string over so he could read his watch. It was a quarter after 10 a.m.</p><p>“Do they have acai bowls?” Emma asked Xander, but before he could answer she shrugged and said, “You can check the menu in the car. So, beach, Lou?”</p><p>Lou looked to Ravi for approval. He said, “I don’t think they plan on taking us back to school before the final bell.”</p><p>“He’s right,” Emma grinned. “And we’re having so much fun! Right?” She turned to Xander, who beamed at her and nodded enthusiastically.</p><p>“Alright,” Lou said. Then she added in a good-natured tone, “To the beach!”</p><p>“To the beach!” Emma and Xander cheered.</p><p>Lou had imagined that their drive to the beach would be like the one earlier in the week, singing with Ravi offkey and giggling when one of them messed up the lyrics. But she forgot the most important element of that drive to the beach: she was alone with him. With Xander and Emma in the front seat, the vibe was completely different. Lou still had fun, but it wasn’t the same. Xander didn’t want to do Taylor Swift karaoke. Instead, he sang songs by Emma’s favorite artists to impress her with his voice. And whenever he wasn’t singing, Emma was telling funny stories about her life at the boarding school in Paris. The only difference between the drives that Lou preferred was that the two giant teddy bears took up a lot of space in the backseat, so Ravi had to sit close enough to her that their shoulders touched.</p><p>Finally, they made it to the vegan place along the boardwalk. Inside there were swirling paper heart decorations hanging from the ceiling. It was close to lunch time, so there were a few people at the tables inside the fast casual restaurant. There was a large poster beside the glass where the fresh ingredients were displayed.</p><p>“Love burrito?” Lou read out loud as she and the group approached the glass. There was a tasty looking burrito surrounded by red and pink hearts on the poster. </p><p>“It’s black beans, corn, tomatoes, rice and guac,” the guy behind the counter explained. “It’s the Valentine’s special for today and tomorrow. You kiss whoever you’re with and then you get a free burrito per purchase of a strawberry banana smoothie.” </p><p>Emma smiled as she looked over at Xander and said in a flirty tone, “I think I’ll be ordering a burrito then.” She snapped her head quickly to the worker and added in a rush, “But easy on the beans!”</p><p>The worker nodded as he wrote her order on a recyclable wrap. He asked Xander, “And for you?”</p><p>“Burrito!” Xander blurted out quickly. He tucked his hands in his pockets and rocked on his heels, adding in a calmer tone, “With the smoothie or whatever.”</p><p>Emma giggled and Xander’s face heated. Lou chuckled at her best friend as she scanned the menu on the wall behind the glass. She could feel the nervous energy radiating off Ravi, who was holding her hand beside her. She wanted to order the love burrito, mostly because it sounded delicious, and also because she wanted to know if he wanted to kiss her. She had been seconds away from kissing him in the hallway at lunch yesterday, but nothing had happened. And the last time she had kissed Eric had been purely out of boredom in the back of the movie theater because kissing him was less annoying than listening to him talk about himself. It would be nice to kiss someone because she really wanted to and really liked the person. But she could feel Ravi’s hand sweating and she didn’t want to make him uncomfortable after all the sweet things he had said at the fair.</p><p>“Oh, cute! Can I get the rainbow salad? It’s so pretty,” Lou said as she pointed up at the menu. </p><p>Ravi quietly let out the breath he had been holding. He nodded at her with a smile and then listened to her order a mango smoothie. He had been so nervous that she’d want the love burrito and then he’d have to kiss her. He felt stupid. One of the primary thoughts on his mind was kissing her, especially after his conversation with Hazel in study hall, but now he was scared when he had the chance. What if he did it wrong? What if his breath didn’t smell nice? Plus, his sister was there and if he messed up his first kiss then Emma would be sure to tell Zuri and Luke and the three of them would tease him relentlessly. </p><p>“I’ll have the same,” Ravi told the guy behind the counter.</p><p>When Emma and Xander kissed for their love burritos, Ravi was once again jealous of his sister Emma. Everything seemed to be so easy for her. She wants a date. She gets a date. She wants to skip school. She skips school. She wants to kiss someone attractive for a free burrito. She kisses someone attractive for a free burrito. </p><p>“Ravi, can you show me where the bathroom is?” Emma asked once the four of them sat at a square table near the station for compostable cutlery and napkins. She gave him a pointed look and nodded her head toward the small hall by the love burrito poster.</p><p>“Uh, sure,” Ravi drawled as he followed his sister. </p><p>Emma stopped walking once they were in the hallway. There was a cork board covered in colorful advertisements between two doors labeled as bathrooms.</p><p>“Why’d you have me follow you if you already knew where the bathrooms were?” Ravi asked as his sister snapped a picture of the cork board with her phone.</p><p>“Cause I want to know how your date is going, duh,” Emma replied. She turned to her brother and smirked, “You can thank me with designer shoes.”</p><p>“Thank you for what? Making me break the student code of conduct by not adhering to the attendance policy?” </p><p>Emma rolled her eyes and said, “Relax, it was one day.” She smiled as she bounced on her toes. “But admit it. My plan was too perfect! You were so bummed last night about having to cancel your date. And believe me, I don’t want to go to the stuffy country club either. But now you get to hang out with Lou!”</p><p>Ravi stared blankly at his sister. “Wait. You...planned this? How did you know she’d come with us? Or that Xander would help you Lounap?”</p><p>Emma chuckled and shrugged her shoulders. “I didn’t know if she would or not, but things usually just work out of me. And that hottie Xander was an unexpected bonus.” </p><p>“Of course, they do,” he said flatly. Emma was the luckiest person he knew. But it was sweet of her to share some of that luck with him. He smiled and hugged his older sister. “I missed you, Emma.”</p><p>“I missed you too, Ravi,” she said, tightly hugging him back. When she let go of him, she asked, “So? Details! Did you ask her to be your Valentine?”</p><p>“No… not yet,” he answered, fiddling with the sleeve of his jacket.</p><p>Emma slapped her brother’s arm, “What are you waiting for!”</p><p>“Ow!”</p><p>Emma chuckled and then left her brother standing by the cork board. Ravi wanted Lou to be his Valentine, but he didn’t want to ask her something so important in a place that smelled like vegan burritos and green smoothies. He decided that after lunch, he’d suggest a walk on the beach. He could ask her there. </p><p>Unfortunately, by the time they finished their lunch and walked down the boardwalk to the beach, it began to rain. A cold, dripping rain that didn’t make it difficult to see as they all ran back to the car, but did leave them all soaking wet once they got inside the vehicle.</p><p>Lou laughed in the backseat as she braided her wet hair. “We always end up caught in the rain, don’t we?” she said to Ravi beside her. She had rearranged some of the fair prizes so that they had a little more room in the backseat.</p><p>“We do,” he replied. He couldn’t help the look of disappointment on his face. He had really wanted to hold her hands like he did that first day at the beach and ask her to be his Valentine.</p><p>“It’s probably for the best,” Lou said. “We need to head back to school anyway to make it before the final bell.”</p><p>“She’s right,” Xander said from the passenger’s seat. He pushed some wet strands of hair from Emma’s eyes as he asked, “But do you have plans tomorrow?”</p><p>“On Valentine’s day?” Emma squealed in the driver’s seat. Xander nodded, so she said, “Yes!” She threw her arms around him in a hug and said, “Let me just cancel my virtual date with this duke I was dating in France.”</p><p>“Duke,” Xander stammered as Emma let go of his shoulders.</p><p>Emma shrugged as she messed with the dials to turn on the heat and seat warmers. “We aren’t serious. And it’s not like I accepted the ruby necklace he offered me.”</p><p>“Uh, okay. Cool!” Xander replied happily.</p><p>The rain continued to patter against the windows as Emma drove away from the beach. Ravi frowned as he watched other cars go by. First his date with Lou this evening had been canceled. Then he chickened out of kissing her at the vegan place. Now, his plan to ask her to be his Valentine on the beach had been rained out. Maybe these were signs that he could talk like he was this huge romantic, but maybe when given the chance, he wasn’t much better than the guys at his school. At least Eric and Tyler actually had Valentines to take to Taco Bell and watch reruns of animated series with. </p><p>He felt a pressure on his arm and shoulder. His heartbeat quickened as he realized Lou had rested her head on his shoulder. He remained as still as possible, not wanting her to think that he wanted her to move away. </p><p>She sighed contentedly and said in a quiet tone, “I had fun today.”</p><p>He smiled softly, no longer feeling sorry for himself, and agreed, “Me too.”</p><p>“Do you think...Well, if you’re not busy tomorrow…” Lou said as she watched the windshield wipers move from side to side. “Will you be my Valentine, Ravi?”</p><p>Ravi felt like angels were singing and fireworks were bursting with vivid colors all around him. He couldn’t express how happy he was with mere words, so he hugged her. She giggled and it made his heart want to leap out of his chest. </p><p>“Should I take that as a yes?” she asked.</p><p>He nodded enthusiastically and chirped, “Yes!</p><p>His happiness kept him in a daze the entire drive back to school. When they got to the parking lot, it had stopped raining. The final bell had just rung about a minute prior, so the lot was already busy with students. </p><p>“Before you leave, do you want to check out the guitar Ravi gave me? It’s in Lou’s truck,” Xander said to Emma.</p><p>“Sure!” Emma said brightly as she and Xander walked shoulder to shoulder across the parking lot.</p><p>“He’s so out of it,” Lou chuckled. She jiggled her keys in the air. “I have the keys.”</p><p>Ravi smiled as he looked in the direction that his sister and Xander had gone. He nodded, “Yes, they seem to have taken a liking to each other fairly quickly.” He returned his gaze to her and looked deeply into her eyes, “I know the feeling.”</p><p>Lou’s face heated as she smirked at him with her eyes bright, “You’re such a flirt.”</p><p>“I am not,” Ravi stammered as his own face heated. He twirled the heart-shaped plastic diamond that he wore around his neck. “Thank you for all the carnival prizes. You really showed up Xander.”</p><p>“I know! I loved it! I can’t wait to tease him about it later.” She held up the tiny, stuffed unicorn Ravi had given her. “Thanks for sharing. I think I’ll name her...Raini.” She hugged the unicorn and smiled at Ravi. “Cause I met you in the rain.”</p><p>She was being so sweet that he wanted to faint like one of those flattered maidens in the romance novels that he read. But he also wanted to look manly, so he stopped twirling his necklace and cleared his throat to say, “That’s cute.”</p><p>She chuckled and said, “I better go unlock the truck for Xander. But I’ll see you tomorrow...for Valentine’s Day?” </p><p>The hope and excitement in her voice was so evident that Ravi couldn’t help the breathless way he said, “I’ll be counting the minutes.”</p><p>She rolled her eyes good-naturedly and said, “Call me later. Bye, Ravi.”</p><p>“Bye,” he said in a dreamy tone as he watched her walk away. She looked at him once over her shoulder and he waved like an idiot. She grinned at him and then turned away.</p><p>“Woo!”</p><p>Ravi turned at the sound of cheering from the group approaching his car. Hazel had one arm wrapped tightly around Eric’s neck as he carried her on piggyback across the parking lot. She used the other one to wave in the air at Ravi. Luke whistled as he and Nina sauntered over with her boyfriend’s arm slung around her shoulders. Tanya and Jessica were clapping their hands as they rushed over to Ravi’s car. Dante and Jamie followed behind the girls. </p><p>“So, you finally skipped,” Luke laughed as he slapped his brother playfully on the back. </p><p>“We’ve trained him well,” Hazel said.</p><p>“I’m never doing it again,” Ravi said as he loosely crossed his arms. “I spent so much time worrying about being caught or getting in trouble that I’m sure the stress has given me a rash.”</p><p>“Ew,” Jamie chuckled. “I get it, though. I never skip. I don’t want to get kicked off the team.”</p><p>“Eric’s barely here and he always gets to play,” Dante said. </p><p>Eric nodded his head slightly over Hazel’s grip and grinned, “My dad donates a lot to school fundraisers.”</p><p>“Hey,” Luke drawled as he rubbed his chin. “I wonder if that would work for me?”</p><p>“No,” Nina said, slapping his chest with the back of her hand on rolling her eyes.</p><p>Tanya and Jessica linked their arms with Ravi, uncrossing his arms slightly as they stood on each side of him. He wasn’t used to being so close to girls that he wasn’t related to or who weren’t Hazel. He didn’t feel any of the butterflies or warmth that he felt when Lou was near, but their casual contact made him slightly nervous. </p><p>“I can’t believe someone finally did it! You actually got Lou Hockhauser to skip school,” Tanya chuckled. “Just for that, I told our teacher that you weren’t feeling well and left early. See, I can be a good lab partner.”</p><p>Ravi remembered that he had abandoned his lab partner and apologized. “Oh, no, Tanya! I hope I didn’t…”</p><p>Jessica interrupted the rest of his sentence by saying, “I hope you took her on a cute date, baby Ross. Lou’s had perfect attendance like her entire life.”</p><p>“Yeah, Ravi. I brought a new Mega Mutants spell book to show you at lunch and you weren’t even there, you jerk. You better have a juicy story about your first kiss to make up for it,” Hazel said loudly.</p><p>Ravi wanted to disappear as all eight pairs of eyes landed on him. Beside him Tanya and Jessica laughed freely. Jamie raised his eyebrow at him and smirked. He knew they had all thought of him as a nerd or a geek or Luke’s little brother, but now it confirmed that he was a dweeb that had never kissed anyone. The embarrassment reminded him of how he chickened out over the love burrito at the boardwalk. </p><p>Luke removed his arm from Nina’s shoulders as he gave Ravi a sympathetic look. He opened his mouth to defend his younger brother, but Eric interrupted him.</p><p>“First kiss?” Eric snorted. “Dude, lucky. Lou’s an awesome kisser. My first kiss was trash.”</p><p>“I was your first kiss!” Tanya said, glaring at Eric while Jamie and Hazel laughed loudly.</p><p>“I hated my first kiss,” Dante said as he tossed his water bottle from one hand to the other. “I was so bad at it.” He winked at Jessica and added, lowering his voice, “I’m much better at it now.”</p><p>“Congrats, baby Ross,” Jessica said quickly as she let go of Ravi and ran over to Dante. She grabbed Dante’s hand and dragged him away from the group, shouting over her shoulder, “Got to go!”</p><p>“She’s so thirsty,” Jamie said, shaking his head. He waved goodbye to the group. “See y’all Monday.”</p><p>“Well, I’m glad you’re a gentleman Ravi and you don’t say rude things about your first kiss,” Tanya said with her glare trained on Eric. She turned her attention to Ravi and her look softened. She smiled, “I know you’ll be a sweet boyfriend...even if you’re a little boring. Lou’s lucky.”</p><p>“Thanks...I suppose,” Ravi said unsure. He tensed when Tanya gave him a hug and then skipped away.</p><p>“What I miss?” Emma asked as she walked up to Ravi’s car. </p><p>“It’s you,” Hazel growled as she gave Emma a look that could kill. Her grip on Eric’s neck tightened in her piggyback position, causing him to cough some.</p><p>Emma smiled, unfazed, and gave everyone a friendly wave. “Hey, everyone, I’m Emma.”</p><p>“Wow, you’re even prettier in person,” Nina complimented her. </p><p>“No, she’s not,” Luke snorted, earning a light punch in the arm from his older sister.</p><p>“We know who you are,” Hazel snarled. “You’re the little blonde that visited for one stupid baseball game and Xandy couldn’t keep his eyes off you! I hate you!”</p><p>Emma grinned as she bounced on her toes. “He couldn’t!” She sighed dreamily, “Xander’s so amazing. I’m going out with him again tomorrow!”</p><p>Hazel released her arms from around Eric’s neck and dropped her feet to the ground. She fell to her knees, shook her fists in the air and shouted at the sky, “No!”</p><p>“Is she always like this?” Emma asked, raising an eyebrow at Hazel.</p><p>“Yes,” Ravi, Luke, and Nina all answered at once.</p><p>“Now he has a Valentine,” Hazel cried as she slapped her hands against the pavement. </p><p>“You have a Valentine,” Ravi reminded her. He pointed at Eric, who had taken out his phone to scroll through it.</p><p>“He’s not Xander,” Hazel pouted, crossing her arms and kicking her legs in a temper tantrum. </p><p>“Okay,” Emma drawled as she watched Hazel. She looked over at her brothers and said, “We better get home so our parents don’t freak.”</p><p>Luke kissed his girlfriend. Ravi looked away shyly. It was the second time that day that one of his siblings had kissed someone with ease. He felt a little less awkward after hearing everyone else’s stories, though.</p><p>“Want to go do laser tag?” Eric asked Hazel as she continued fussing on the asphalt. </p><p>She thought for a moment and then nodded up at him. Eric pocketed his phone and then scooped her into his arms.</p><p>“Bye, Ravi!” Hazel shouted, as if she hadn’t been freaking out a moment ago. “Call me later!”</p><p>“Yo, Lou likes it when your breath is fruity,” Eric called out. “So, eat like some candy or something! I kept Skittles in my car!”</p><p>“Buy Skittles, Ravi!” Hazel shouted.</p><p>Ravi shook his head as he opened the driver’s side door and muttered, “Why do I know them…”</p><p>Once the three Ross siblings were in the car, Luke nudged his brother with his elbow and asked, “So... how was your date? Did you really kiss her?”</p><p>Ravi didn’t want to disappoint his brother, but he also wanted to tell the truth. He sighed, “No.”</p><p>“That’s alright,” Luke shrugged. He put on his seatbelt in the passenger’s seat and then kicked his feet up on the dash. “You’ve got Valentine’s Day. And spring break. And prom. And graduation. And summer. Plenty of time, dude.”</p><p>“I thought you said I was just her rebound?” Ravi asked as he started the car.</p><p>Luke shrugged. “Xander said she’s not like that. And I know you’re not like that either. Oh, can you swing by the grocery store? I need to get like chocolate or something for Nina.”</p><p>“Speaking of Valentine’s Day,” Emma grinned as she leaned forward from the backseat. “Xander says Lou’s super into the holiday. So, what do you have planned?”</p><p>Ravi gripped the steering wheel as his stomach churned. A week ago, he had been so sure that he could plan the most romantic, special Valentine’s date in history for Hazel. Now he was terrified! What if he couldn’t impress Lou? Someone who actually had standards. Someone he wanted to be his girlfriend, not out of convenience, but because he had fallen for her. </p><p>He gulped, “I have no idea.”</p><p>________________________________________<br/>Ravi’s eyes fluttered open as his phone rang. His room was still dark from the lack of light outside his window or inside his bedroom. He groggily reached across the bed and shuffled his hand around the nightstand until he found his phone.</p><p>“Hello?” he answered as he yawned.</p><p>“Good morning,” Lou said cheerfully. “Happy Valentine’s Day!”</p><p>Her voice was like caffeine, and suddenly he felt awake and energized. He sat up against his headboard and glanced out the window. The sun wasn’t out yet, but he wasn’t about to complain. He said, “Happy Valentine’s Day...I think. What time is it?”</p><p>“I know it’s early, but I was too excited to sleep.”</p><p>Ravi covered the mic on his phone and kicked his feet in joy. He let out a breath and then said into the phone as calmly as he could manage, “Yeah?”</p><p>“So… how fast can you get dressed for the day?”</p><p>“How much time do I have?”</p><p>“I’m already in your driveway.”</p><p>Ravi kicked away his blanket, hopped out of the bed, and ran out of his room to the window at the end of the hallway that faced the driveway. He smiled like a kid on Christmas morning when he saw Lou’s truck parked along the driveway. </p><p>“Give me ten minutes,” he said brightly. </p><p>He had never brushed his teeth or gotten dressed so quickly in his entire life. Everyone else in the house was asleep, so he was careful not to be too loud. He wrote a quick note and stuck it on the fridge in case anyone woke up and wondered why he wasn’t home. </p><p>“Mornin’,” Lou greeted him as she stood in front of her truck. She was holding the handlebars of two bicycles. There was a helmet balanced on the back of one of them. “How do you feel about a bike ride before sunrise?”</p><p>“Is that helmet for me?” he asked. “Because a bike ride sounds amazing, but safety first.” He winced at his words and hoped he didn’t sound as lame out loud as he did in his head.</p><p>“I haven’t known you long, but I figured you’d say that,” she smiled as she handed him the helmet. “I drew a heart up there for you.” </p><p>He smiled at the heart painted in red on the side of the helmet. “Adorable,” he said and without hesitation he stepped out and hugged her. She felt warm in his arms and he couldn’t imagine why he hadn’t hugged her sooner. </p><p>“Aw shucks, thanks,” she said as she wrapped her arms around him. She let go and said, “We better get moving if we want to catch the sunrise.”</p><p>They biked through the quiet neighborhood, staying on the sidewalk and cycling side-by-side. There was a stillness to the world as they peddled past houses old and new that made it seem like they were the only two people in the universe. Soon they made it to the parking lot of the coffee shop near his neighborhood. They locked the bikes against the bike rake and then sat on a picnic table outside the shop to watch the sunrise. </p><p>“The sunrise is always so pretty,” Lou smiled as she linked her arm with Ravi’s and snuggled closer to him. “My pa used to take me hiking with my brothers when I was little and we’d climb up to the summit and watch the sunrise.” </p><p>“That sounds nice. Once on a flight to France, I looked out the window at sunrise and the view was breathtaking.”</p><p>“And now we’ve seen the sunrise together,” she smiled over at him as he gazed at her.</p><p>He knew this would be the perfect time to kiss her, but his heart was pounding so rapidly against his chest that he thought he might have a heart attack if he leaned any closer to her face. He panicked. What if he was reading the moment wrong? What if he was reading it right? He didn’t have any Skittles! Quickly, he turned away and looked up at the sky. </p><p>Lou didn’t notice his weird behavior. She unlinked her arm from his and said, “I woke you up early on a Saturday, which means I owe you hot chocolate.” She pointed her thumb behind her to the coffee shop, “Let’s go inside.”</p><p>Inside the coffee shop, they sat at a little couch beside a coffee table covered in books on art and architecture. They opted for mugs so they wouldn’t have to carry paper cups on the bikes. Because it was Valentine’s Day, there were pastries with red and pink frosting in the glass display and love songs played softly on the speakers. The big, fluffy marshmallows for their hot chocolate were shaped like hearts. It was early, so the shop was mostly empty except for an elderly couple and a young woman typing on her laptop in the corner.</p><p>“Sunrise, a bike ride, and hot chocolate.” Ravi took a sip from his mug and hummed. “You’re off to a good start.” </p><p>Last night on the phone, they had decided that they would split Valentine’s Day planning. Lou was in charge of activities for the day and Ravi was assigned the evening. They had both sounded calm on the phone, but internally they were both anxious to impress the other person.</p><p>“I’m glad you feel that way, cause I’m honestly not sure if you’ll be that into what I have planned next,” Lou said honestly. She could tell that Ravi wasn’t the outdoorsy type, but she had hoped that she might be able to help him experience it and then let him decide if he liked it or not.</p><p>“I’m fine with whatever,” he replied. He reached out and held her hand. “I just want to spend time with you.”</p><p>“I hope you feel that way once we bike all the way to the farmer’s market. We need supplies.”</p><p>He lowered his hot chocolate mug and widened his eyes at her. “We have to bike all the way to the market?”</p><p>Lou nodded with a chuckle. Ravi sighed and shrugged, “It is fun biking with you. You don’t try and tip me over like Zuri does.”</p><p>Lou laughed out loud, spitting some of her hot chocolate back into her mug. She looked embarrassed but Ravi smiled at her and handed her a napkin. </p><p>After swapping more stories about riding bikes as kids, they cycled to the farmer’s market. Lou had brought along a backpack and told Ravi to pick out whatever foods that he wanted for their picnic. She wasn’t surprised by the fruits and vegetables that he selected, but she raised her eyebrow at the cheeses he picked out. </p><p>“You said you loved cheese,” he said at her questioning look.</p><p>“But I want you to pick out your favorites. Not mine.”</p><p>“You being happy is my favorite.”</p><p>By the time they biked back to Ravi’s house, the morning sun was bright. Morgan Ross was grabbing the mail out of the mailbox that he hadn’t picked up the day before. He introduced himself to Lou as he helped her and Ravi load the bikes into the back of her truck.</p><p>“Nice truck,” Morgan said to Lou as he admired the vehicle.</p><p>“Thanks,” Lou said brightly. “I worked on it myself.”</p><p>Morgan gave his son a look of approval before waving them goodbye. Ravi hurried Lou into the truck before any more of his family members could walk outside and increase the odds of embarrassing him.</p><p>Lou played Taylor Swift and they sang along to the songs as she drove to their destination. When she parked the car a few yards behind her house, Ravi looked around in confusion at the woodsy area. He followed her out of the truck and then watched her grab fishing gear from the truck bed. </p><p>She saw his confused expression clear a little. She smiled and said, “There’s a lake back here. I, um, thought I’d teach you how to fish.” Her smile faltered as she glanced up at the trees and said, “Unless, you think that’s not...romantic.”</p><p>“Are you kidding? The other day you said you loved fishing!” Ravi said enthusiastically. “I’m honored that you want to teach me.”</p><p>Lou grinned and ushered him over to the small boat tied to the dock. She helped him step into the boat and then passed him the gear and picnic supplies. Soon they were out on the water and she was giving him lessons on how to fish.</p><p>“It’s peaceful out here,” Ravi said as he watched some greenery float by in the water. </p><p>“Yeah, I love to come out here and think. Mostly about brisket and sometimes about the future. But mostly brisket,” Lou joked. She munched on a piece of cheese. “Do you make it a rule, you know, to not go to dances?”</p><p>Ravi crunched on an apple and raised his eyebrows. “A rule?” he asked. He shook his head. “We talked about me not going to homecoming, but that was because no one I really knew was going. I don’t have anything against dances. Not that there are any options during the second semester.”</p><p>“There’s prom,” Lou said before biting into a pear. She said between chews, “That’s only a few months away.”</p><p>“Yeah, but prom is for juniors and seniors. I’m only a sophomore,” he said. She fluttered her eyelashes at him and he finally understood. “Oh! Well, um, I certainly don’t have any rules against dances. Dances are great! I love to dance!” He was a terrible dancer, but if Lou wanted to take him to prom, then he’d practice every day until then.</p><p>“Good to know,” Lou grinned. She looked out onto the water and could already imagine doing an elaborate promposal that would sweep Ravi off his feet and then slow dancing with him under the cheap prom decorations in the gymnasium. </p><p>After much laughter, Ravi almost falling out of the boat, and Lou catching several fish, they drove the short distance back up to her house. Ravi sent Emma a text to pick him up, so that Lou wouldn’t have to drive him home and then all the way back to get ready for the rest of their Valentines date. He was happy with his decision to text his sister instead of his brother because he got a reply almost immediately. </p><p>“She’ll be here soon,” Ravi announced as he sat beside Lou on the couch in the den. He noticed that she held a box wrapped in shiny paper covered in glittery hearts and a pink bow in her hands. </p><p>“Well, while we wait, I figured I’d give you your Valentine’s Day gift,” she said excitedly as she shoved the box into his hands. “Open it!”</p><p>“You got me a gift! How thoughtful,” Ravi cooed. “I’m sure I love it already.”</p><p>Lou rolled her eyes but smiled, “You haven’t even opened it. Now open it!”</p><p>He carefully unwrapped the gift and opened the box. The den filled with the aroma of chocolate chip cookies. Inside the box, there were two dozen cookies shaped like hearts. </p><p>“They’re the cookies from our truck picnic, except, you know, in heart form! You should’ve seen how I had to fight my pa off to keep him from eating all of those last night. I had to make him his own batch.”</p><p>Ravi chuckled, “I can’t blame him! I remember these cookies. They’re delicious!” He closed the lid and gave her a grateful smile. “Thanks, Lou.”</p><p>“You’re welcome, Ravi.”</p><p>They sat there on the couch, lovingly gazing into each other’s eyes as the house was silent. Ravi noticed the lack of sound and asked, “Where is everyone? I’d imagine a lively house this late in the afternoon.” </p><p>“Oh, my parents left last night. My ma was pretty peeved about my pa being such a stick in the mud the other day, not going to that cooking class with her. So, she made him take her to my grandpappy’s cabin for the weekend,” Lou said as she picked up the remote from the coffee table. “I don’t know why she bothered. He’s just going to watch reruns of Wheel of Fortune while he’s there.”</p><p>Ravi’s stomach twisted in a knot with nerves. He knew enough to know that an empty house with a pretty girl was a solid formula for smooching. He glanced over at Lou, but she was busy scrolling for something to watch. He hated that he was the only person in the world that wished the parents of the person he was dating was home. </p><p>“Why do you look like you’re about to hurl?” Lou asked with concern in her voice. She placed her hand on his shoulder and he immediately tensed beneath her touch. “Are you okay?”</p><p>Ravi knew that both Emma and Luke would be so ashamed of him right now. They would have no problems in this situation and here he was about to have a fainting spell. He prided himself on being highly intelligent, but he couldn’t figure out why it was so difficult to take action on something he really, really wanted to do. He wanted to kiss Lou. He thought about it often. And here was another chance to do so and he was terrified to take it.</p><p>Lou studied her date’s expression as she waited for him to answer. She couldn’t think of anything that she’d done wrong. For a moment she panicked and wondered if a homemade Valentines gift was a stupid move. She didn’t have much time for shopping and those cookies had taken her hours to make from scratch. Then realization dawned on her. He had been fine until she had mentioned that they were alone. Her eyes widened. Did he think she had invited him to her empty house on purpose to make out? </p><p>She giggled. “Don’t worry, Casanova. We’re just gonna watch tv and wait for Emma to get here. Tiffany said you like romance movies. I’m not going to attack you or anything.”</p><p>“What?” Ravi squeaked. He shook his head. “No! I didn’t think that you were… I wasn’t worried or… Whatevs,” he stammered. </p><p>“Sure,” Lou giggled again as she picked a movie. She settled into the couch and rested her head on his shoulder while she watched the opening credits.</p><p>Ravi felt like an idiot. Not only was Lou winning at Valentine’s Day planning, but she was amused by his lameness. He hadn’t thought of making her a homemade gift. He was going to buy her roses like every other guy in town. And she had shared fishing with him, something that was personal and special to her. All he had done was beg his mom to pull some strings with her friends that owned a fancy restaurant downtown. He glanced down at her as she chuckled at something funny a character had done on screen. Now, for a third time, he was too afraid to kiss her. And now he knew that she knew he was chicken. He frowned as he stared at the screen without really watching the movie. Maybe he should’ve just kissed Hazel in the janitor’s closet the other day when she had offered, just to get it over with. Lou chuckled again and it jolted him out of his self-pitying thoughts. </p><p>“This movie always cracks me up,” Lou laughed. She smiled up at him and said, “But it’s tough to hear anything with those gears grinding in your brain. I can hear it from here.”</p><p>Ravi’s face heated with embarrassment and he tried to look anywhere but at the girl snuggled up to him.</p><p>“Remember yesterday at the fair? When I was being all weird and embarrassed about liking you so quickly? You were so sweet and you made me feel so much better.” Lou smiled. “Whatever you’re worried about? Don’t. I think you’re special. And I just want to be with you,” she said, repeating the things he had said to her while they shared a funnel cake at the fair. Without another word, she returned her attention to the movie.</p><p>Ravi smiled to himself. He felt like a weight had been lifted from his heart. If she said that he didn’t have anything to worry about, then he trusted her. And he didn’t want to spend his entire Valentine’s Day stressing. He wanted to spend it paying as much attention to her as possible. He held her hand and smiled every time she giggled at something funny in the movie.</p><p>________________________________________<br/> <br/>Lou sat at the vanity in her room as she put on her earrings. Music played loudly from the Bluetooth speakers on her bookshelf. Ravi had left two hours ago to get ready for the rest of their date. She picked up her mascara and applied it to her eyelashes as she thought about the time they had spent earlier that day. He was quickly becoming one of her favorite people. He made her laugh and he told her interesting things that she had never thought to know about before. She stood up and walked over to the full-length mirror that hung over her door to inspect her outfit. She had picked out a knee-length dress that had a flowy skirt. It was a hue that brought out the color in her eyes and it showed off her shoulders. She nodded in approval.</p><p>“Not too bad, Hockhauser,” she said to herself as she posed in the mirror. She snapped a picture of herself and sent it to Xander.</p><p>It wasn’t long before she got a reply:</p><p>
  <em> Lookin’ good! </em>
</p><p>She sent back a thumbs up and then put her phone on the charger. Her nervousness about her date with Ravi had disappeared when they were sitting on her couch in the den. She could tell he was stressed about being alone in the house with her and honestly it was a nice change. Eric and most every other guy she’d ever dated would’ve been all over her. It was nice watching a movie and holding hands just enjoying being in the presence of another person.</p><p>She smiled at herself in the mirror again. She thought she cleaned up nice. She didn’t dress up often, preferring flannel, plaid and jeans more than anything. But when she did get dolled up, she went all out. She liked that he appreciated her for her personality, but she was also a human being and wanted the guy she was dating to think she was hot, especially on Valentine’s Day.</p><p>About fifteen minutes later, her doorbell rang. She nearly tripped as she rushed down the stairs to get to the door.</p><p>“Chill, Lou,” she reprimanded herself as she stood in front of the mirror by the entryway. She took a deep breath, composed herself, and then opened the front door. </p><p>“Hi,” Ravi greeted her. He was dressed up nicely in shades that made his eyes look dreamier and complemented his lean frame.</p><p>“Hi, right back,” she muttered as she clearly checked him out. She figured he got the memo for looking hot on Valentine’s Day because he looked awesome. She thought about telling him so, but she didn’t want him to think she was just trying to jump him.</p><p>“Are you ready?” he asked politely. He offered his arm for her to take.</p><p>“Sure am,” she said in a low, flirty tone that she hadn’t meant to voice out loud. She cleared her throat and amended, “I mean, yep.”</p><p>Ravi didn’t notice her tone because he was too distracted by how beautiful she looked. He was also so nervous about their date that his hands were shaking, which is why he had offered her his arm instead of his hand. He walked her to the car and when they got inside, he handed her a dozen roses, hoping she didn’t notice the way the bundle shook slightly.</p><p>“I know roses are sort of cliche and not at all as thoughtful as your homemade gift,” Ravi nervously fumbled his words.</p><p>“They’re beautiful,” Lou smiled, putting him at ease.</p><p>The restaurant they went to downtown was the fanciest place Lou had ever been to in her eighteen years of life. She normally went to buffets with her family or the drive-thru with her ex-boyfriends. Rarely did she go to a crab shack or an Applebee’s for her birthday. But the restaurant she was in now with Ravi was like something out of a movie. Greenery and fairy lights draped the ceiling. There was a raised firepit in the center of the restaurant that cast an orange glow. Round tables were dressed in dainty tablecloths with glass bowls of floating rose petals and tea candles as centerpieces. </p><p>“Did I die and go to rom-com heaven?” Lou asked in awe as she snapped photos of everything with her phone.</p><p>“Do you like it?” Ravi asked in a hopeful tone. </p><p>She smiled at him. It made her happy that he truly cared about what she thought. He had picked out a place so beautiful to take her to dinner. She put her phone down and reached across the table to hold his hand. She said sweetly, “This is everything I’ve ever wanted on a Valentine’s Day.”</p><p>He looked relieved and he grinned at her. “Take a look at your menu.”</p><p>Lou picked up her menu and scanned it with her eyes. She gasped, “Look at all the types of cheeses they have for this platter!” She pointed at the menu and held it up for him to see. She gasped again and pointed under the dessert list. “And funnel cake!”</p><p>Ravi chuckled, delighted by her reaction. </p><p>She smirked at him and said, “Hold up. Why would a place this fancy pants have funnel cakes? What did you do?”</p><p>Ravi shrugged to play it cool. What he had done is cry to his mommy that he needed this date to be perfect for Lou. Christina Ross had never seen him so distraught, even though her son was plenty dramatic at times. She worked her Ross magic and made sure the owner talked with the head chef about Lou’s menu preferences. </p><p>“I’m gonna be so bloated, but I’ll be happy,” Lou said as she read over the menu. </p><p>“By the way,” he said, causing her to look over at him, “You look lovely.”</p><p>Something about the way he said lovely instead of hot made her face heat up as she bashfully said, “Thanks, Ravi. You look lovely too.”</p><p>He felt his heart do a backflip in his chest. He didn’t care much for looking lovely himself but knowing that she thought he looked nice tonight made him feel like he’d won a Nobel prize. He had to remember to thank his siblings for helping him pick out his date attire.</p><p>There wasn’t an empty table in the restaurant. Some couples sat across from each other, gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes and feeding each other spoonfuls of chocolate mousse. Other couples hardly talked to each other as they scrolled through their phones and munched on their dinner. There were even a few tables where the couples were clearly ticked off at each other and on the verge of stabbing each other with their salad forks. </p><p>Lou was sure she and Ravi were the youngest people in the restaurant, but that didn’t bother her. She realized that whenever she was around Ravi, she didn’t have to feel out of place. That’s why she had fallen for him so quickly. They belonged together. Time would tell if that belonging would always be in a romantic way, but she knew that no matter what, they belonged in each other’s lives.</p><p>“Can I tell you something,” Lou said as she spread brie across a baguette slice. </p><p>“Of course,” Ravi answered as he poured more water into his glass and her glass.</p><p>“That day in my truck, when it was raining and we had both been stood up, we both agreed that we were hopeless romantics that believed in tummy butterflies and locking eyes and amazing Valentines. And then those things started happening to us. You give me butterflies. We lock eyes and everyone else kind of just disappears to me. You bring me here on Valentine’s Day,” Lou said, waving her hand to emphasize the beautiful restaurant. “I just want to say...thanks.”</p><p>“Thanks?” Ravi asked quietly as he gazed at her.</p><p>She locked eyes with him and said in a soft tone, “Thanks for believing that romance exists. And then sharing it with me.”</p><p>That was it. Ravi was only sixteen and he had barely had one other girlfriend, but he had no doubt that he’d love Lou Hockhauser for the rest of his life. It didn’t matter if they dated for another week after this Valentine’s Day or another decade or forever. It didn’t matter if she dumped him when she graduated or after her first semester of college or when he went out of state for university in two years. It didn’t matter if she married an athlete or he married a brain surgeon or they both died alone with cats. For the rest of his life, she would own a piece of his heart that only loved her. He was sure of it. </p><p>He squeezed her hand and then interlocked their fingers. He smiled and sweetly said, “Same.”</p><p>After dinner, he drove her to the park where they had first spent time together. He wrapped a wool blanket that he had borrowed from his mom around Lou’s shoulders because he knew she would be cold and then they held hands as they walked under the stars. </p><p>“So, how many times do you think we’ve met without really meeting each other?” Lou asked as they stepped over a puddle.</p><p>“Like at school?” Ravi asked. She nodded and he thought for a moment. He snapped his fingers and said, “Oh, I remember once in eighth grade, we took a tour of the high school. You had to have been a sophomore then, but you were one of the kids that volunteered to lead a group around campus.”</p><p>Lou’s eyes lit up and she gasped, “I remember that! Yeah, you were in my group with that girl who kept kicking the lockers and those guys that used markers at lunch to draw stupid doodles on the tables.” She smiled at him. “You were the only one that didn’t make me want to pull my hair out! And you were the only one that asked any real questions. I liked that.”</p><p>“I remember thinking, if everyone in high school was as nice as you then I couldn’t wait to go,” Ravi replied honestly. He didn’t mention that he had developed a tiny crush on her for about a week after the tour. </p><p>Lou squeezed his hand as she looked up at the stars peeking through the clouds. She said, “I’ve got one. My junior year, after Mrs. Armstrong was going on and on about you winning the science fair, I wanted to congratulate the great Ravi Ross. I knew you were Luke’s brother, so I asked him which lunch period you had and it turned out you had the same one as me.”</p><p>“You were always surrounded by people,” Ravi said at the memory. “Smiling, laughing. You always looked so happy.”</p><p>“Did I?” Lou chuckled. “I don’t know. But Jess’s dad used to be a manager at a fast-food place and that year she brought chicken nuggets like every day. So that might have been why.” Lou shook her head to focus, “Anyway, the point of the story was that I wanted to congratulate you. So, I bought you a sugar cookie from the cafeteria and walked it over to you.”</p><p>All of sudden, Ravi’s mind was back to that day in the cafeteria. He had been stunned when Lou approached him in front of his other freshman friends. She handed him the cookie and said, “Congrats on the science fair.” He had been tongue-tied as he thanked her and then realized as she walked back to the popular table that she had probably only done so at the instruction of a teacher. He was still grateful but he didn’t think it had anything to do with her personally wanting to congratulate him. </p><p>He stopped walking and so she did too. He gazed at her and said, “That was so sweet. I thought a teacher had told you to give me that cookie.”</p><p>“Nope.” Lou chuckled. “I guess cookies have always been our thing, huh? Who knew I’d spend half the night before Valentine’s Day baking for the same guy that spilled soda on me four months ago?”</p><p>Ravi’s face heated. “Oh, yeah. I remember that football game. One of the only ones I’ve gone to and the first thing I do is trip walking up the bleachers with Harold’s extra-large soda.”</p><p>“With extra ice,” Lou shuddered. “It was freezing!”</p><p>“Sorry about that,” Ravi said with a guilty look.</p><p>She giggled and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She said, “Well... I’m warm now.” She gave him a hug, which she had been dying to do again after he had hugged her that morning in the driveway. </p><p>As they walked back to the car, Ravi apologized, “Sorry, for the lack of stars tonight. This would’ve been a much more romantic walk if it weren’t so cloudy.” <br/>“It was romantic to me,” Lou said with an easy smile as she got into the car.</p><p>As Ravi drove Lou back to her house, he told her how he had to hide his Valentine’s Day gift of cookies from his sister Zuri because she had tried to devour the entire box in the two hours that he was home. Lou told him how Xander had sent her three different outfits to choose from as he tried to decide what to wear for his date with Emma. They talked and laughed and before he knew it, they were parked in her driveway. </p><p>“That was the best date I’ve ever been on, Ravi. Thank you,” Lou said sweetly. </p><p>She was hugging her bouquet of roses to her heart and gazing at him with bright, adoring eyes. She looked so beautiful and so kissable. His heart was racing, but his expression remained calm. </p><p>“I should thank you. This entire day has been amazing. So, thank you,” he said. He didn’t want her to leave yet. He wanted to spend as much time with her as possible even though they had already made plans to hang out tomorrow. “I don’t have to be home until ten.”</p><p>“Look at you with your extended curfew,” Lou joked. She glanced at the time in the car and saw that there was about an hour before he needed to go. She wanted to invite him inside to watch tv or listen to music, but she didn’t want him to be uncomfortable again. So, she asked, “Do you want me to show you around my backyard? We can visit Gertie the Goat.”</p><p>Part of Ravi did want to visit the farm animals in her backyard. He loved animals and he knew Lou loved talking about her pets. But he also knew he wouldn’t feel like his Valentine’s Day was complete without kissing her. He was terrified and nervous and on the verge of throwing up, but he really, really wanted to know what it was like to kiss someone he cared about. She was looking at him expectantly, waiting for an answer to her question.</p><p>“Um…” He fiddled with the steering wheel and stared down at his hands. He gulped, “Can I... can I tell you something?”</p><p>Lou blinked. Those were the words she had used the restaurant. She looked at him with kind eyes and nodded, “Yeah, Ravi. What is it?”</p><p>“I, uh, think you’re very pretty…”</p><p>Lou smiled at him. She could tell he wanted to say more, so she didn’t interrupt him.</p><p>Ravi continued, “...And I think, you know, all the best romances...there is a moment when two people, um, kiss…”<br/>He felt completely awkward. He couldn’t even look at her while he was talking. But if he had chanced a look in her direction, he would have seen her beaming at him. She was excited that he wanted to kiss her because she wanted to kiss him too. </p><p>“Right,” she drawled, unable to keep the eagerness from her tone. She tossed her bouquet of roses to the side to make sure they weren’t in the way if he decided to lean in her direction.</p><p>“You see, the thing is… the only thing…” He sighed in defeat as his shoulders sagged. “...I’ve ever kissed is my pillow. And one time a watermelon with lipstick, but I probably should have kept that part to myself.”</p><p>Lou let his words sink in. She relaxed in the passenger’s side seat as she looked out the windshield. So that was why he was so nervous. She thought he was just shy because they had just started hanging out. She had no idea that he’d never kissed someone. She shifted her gaze back to him and gave him a soft smile even though he wouldn’t look at her.</p><p>“Wow, Ravi. Your first kiss, huh? That’s a big deal,” she said gently. “My first kiss was in third grade. Darren Harris. He shared his glitter glue with me and I was in love. I ran up to him on the playground, gave him a smooch right on the lips, and he pushed me in the sandbox and ran away crying. Talk about a confidence builder.”</p><p>Ravi couldn’t help but laugh. He found that in the short time that he’d spent with her, she could always make him laugh. It was one of his favorite things about her. He took a deep breath and finally looked over at her. She still looked beautiful. She still looked kissable.</p><p>“If I were to, um, kiss you, would you push me in the sandbox?” he asked in a shaky tone.</p><p>She shook her head and grinned, “Nope. Or run away crying.”</p><p>He gulped. He tried to maintain eye contact but he looked over her shoulder instead. “And what if...it’s not good.”</p><p>She smirked, “It’s not rocket science, Ravi. Your lips just connect with mine. Besides, I’ve kissed a lot of guys since Darren Harris. Trust me, you’ll be fine.” She chuckled and then said in a more serious tone, “It’s up to you. I won’t be upset or anything if you decide not to kiss me. I meant what I said earlier, I just want to be with you. We can hold hands for the next hour or we could dress up one of my pigs like a little fairy godmother. I don’t care. As long as I’m…” she felt her face heat up as she said honestly, “With you.”</p><p>The knot of nervousness in Ravi’s tummy loosened to a flutter of butterflies as his heart beat steadily in his chest. He exhaled and said, “Alright. I can do this! I’m gonna kiss you.”</p><p>“Sweet!” She quickly added, “I mean, if you want to.” She scooted closer to him and leaned toward him. Her eyes flickered to his lips and she could feel that same energy that she had felt at her locker the other day. “But only if you really want to,” she said in a low tone.</p><p>Ravi kicked all of the fears he had out of his brain because he really, really wanted to kiss his Valentine. So, he closed his eyes and leaned forward to give her a quick peck on the lips. It couldn’t have been more than a second or two, but he felt like he had been hit by lightning. </p><p><em> “Merci,” </em> he said breathlessly. He made up in his mind that there was no way he was going to go dress her pig like a fairy godmother now.  He grinned and leaned forward to kiss her again, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Lou.”</p><p>She gave him a bright smile and then leaned in for another kiss, saying, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Ravi.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I do not own Bunk'd. Story based on tumblr prompt "rained on picnic."</p></blockquote></div></div>
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